


The Grudges Other People Have and How to Fight Them

by Semisan



Category: Infinity War...eventually, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 1st and 3rd person POVs, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Avengers Family, Everyone Falls in love with Spider-Man, Friendship, Hurt Peter Parker, Infinity War Compliant, May is a good parent, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Protective Avengers, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-25
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-05-13 13:13:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 38
Words: 85,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14749535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Semisan/pseuds/Semisan
Summary: This story has evolved from a one shot idea to something much much longer, lol.Basically a story about Peter’s life and those who love him.  Oh and getting into trouble and being helped by his extensive Avenger family.The story will take us up to just before Infinity War.Comments, Kudos, views...always welcome!





	1. Aunt May's Gonna be Pissed!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, thank you so much for reading this and giving me such awesome support via comments and kudos, those are like food for a starving writer, lol.  
> But mostly I just hope the Spiderman fans enjoyed it. 
> 
> Now on to the story:

As I slowly regained consciousness, all I could think about was how angry Aunt May was going to be when she found out I had been in a full-fledged battle.  I had promised her that I would be careful and now this...  Knocked out in some strange alley, probably missed my curfew and would be returning home to a very pissed off Aunt May.  I groaned at the thought.

 _Perfect_!

It was so frustrating after I literally begged and pleaded for hours to get her to agree to let me continue to go out on patrol. Promising her that I would stick close to home and small crime fighting only.  But not a month later…I find myself the target of one crazy laser battle in, of all places, some back alley where I had just stopped to help someone.   

I could hear myself now, my voice rising in pitch as I begged for her to understand - "Aunt May, it wasn't my fault!!  I swear...I was - was just trying to help a homeless man with his cart when these crazy lasers blasts star going off all around!  What was I supposed I do?  I mean...seriously, I had to protect the guy...I had to stop the shooter! He could have...killed someone!"

But I knew that nothing I said would matter...I was supposed to stick to Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man level crime fighting, not go up against laser shooting criminals - especially after what happened with Toomes.  I certainly wasn’t supposed to be dodging bolts of energy to lead the shooter away from innocent civilians and I  _absolutely_  wasn’t supposed to be shot out of the sky! I didn't know how long I was out, but I bet it was long enough to make May worry. I didn't think I would be able to sneak in without her knowing. Time to get home...

I groaned again.  This time because of the pain that flared all through my body, reminding me that I had been hit quite a few times before I clocked out.

_Wonderful!  What else could go wrong?  Dang I spoke too soon..._

As I shifted my body to get up, I feel that telltale sharp pain in my right arm that usually meant something was broken.  That must have happened when I was thrown through the brick wall or possibly when I had fallen through the four floors of that abandoned building. 

Oh, you have to be kidding me - a fractured arm too?  That is not an injury I could easily hide from May!  Yeah...I was so going to be told off when I got home.  Damn Peter Parker luck!

All this flashed through my head as I fully came awake.

But all that was instantly forgotten when...as I was shaking my head to clear it, I tried to touch my head with my good arm and realized I couldn’t move my arm. 

In a rush of fear, I came fully awake to find I was sitting in a chair with my arms pulled behind me.  When I tried to snap whatever was holding me and couldn’t - I knew that I was in real trouble.  

I struggled again...as hard as I could...nothing. And now I am sure my arm was not just sprained, but broken since whenever I moved it, a sharp shooting pain raced along it.

Finally, I couldn't take the pain anymore and I had to stop. There was no change in the bonds that held me anyway. Whatever it was, it was strong…I couldn’t break free.

_Crap… What had happened to me?_

The last thing I remembered was being hit in the face with some kind of...energy blast? I tested my jaw. Thankfully it was not broken but I could feel blood slowly running down my cheek where...

It was at that moment I realized...

_Holy Cannoli…my mask...where was it!_

Not good.  So…so not good.  I frantically I looked around to find it while still trying to figure out what the heck was going on. My Spidey senses are ringing out loud and clear now as...

I noticed...in the shadows...a figure leaning against the wall. Just standing there...watching me.  A shiver went up my spine and I feel another jolt of fear in my gut as the man straightened up and started slowly and deliberately walking towards me. 

_Okay, no. No, No, NO…this was NOT good…_

As he moved closer, I futilely ducked my head as I again frantically struggle against my restraints. But to no avail - again.  Desperate, I really try to push past the pain but get nowhere fast. Even worse, when I stop moving, the pain in my arm doesn't recede this time.  It's official, I ain't going anywhere.  And now my arm is numb...almost useless.

As I heard the footsteps get closer, I desperately try to calm down...swallow my anxiety and hide the pain.   Whoever this was, they couldn’t know how injured I was.

Just then, with a loud slap, my mask hit the floor right in front of me. 

Startled, I glanced at it.  The eyes in the mask looking up at me reminded me of how bad this situation was, and I swallowed hard. This was not good.

I didn’t want to look up, but I knew there wasn't really any way to avoid it as I steeled my nerves and raised my head.

My brave face didn’t last once I realized who it was.

Crap!  I was in real trouble.


	2. When the Spidey Senses Fail

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is what I imagined happened after that last scene in the movie! I hope you like it!

_One month earlier…_

Getting back from my visit to the new Avengers Headquarters, I was still feeling proud of my decision to “stick to the ground” as Mr. Stark had put it.  But when I found what Mr. Stark had sent me…well, I was through the moon happy!

Of course, when I walked into my room the first thing I noticed was the bag sitting on my bed.  My heart rate had sped up as I recognized the handwriting of the note on the bag. 

_It couldn’t be…could it?_

And then there was that feeling of pure joy as I dumped out the bag and saw it was real! 

Mr. Stark had given me the suit back!  I honestly thought I would have to be the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man without it and now...

In my excitement, I had forgotten about everything else as I quickly donned the suit.  I wanted to just relish the feeling of having it on again.  The message was loud and clear:  I wasn’t ready to be an Avenger just yet, but Mr. Stark still believed in me. God it was so good to have it back!  I didn't realize how much I missed it until I slipped it back on.  It was like coming home.

All these thoughts and emotions were rolling around my overwhelmed brain…which is probably why I missed a very critical bit of information behind me _…_

_(...yeah you know where this is going don’t you…)_

 

“What the  _FUCK_?”

 

 “Aunt May,” I whip around with my hands held out as if I can somehow stop what just happened with my hands. “This is... not... what it looks like.” The words sound lame - even to me.

Her face is white. “What...the actual fuck?!  YOU have  _got_  to be kidding me.”

I watch her face as she swiftly shifts from shock to confusion to realization and speeds rapidly to full blown outrage.

_...oh boy…_

She opened and closed her mouth several times and then suddenly she just turns and walks away.  Somehow that is oh so much worse than the screaming.

“A-Aunt May?”  I rush after her as she storms into the living room.  She is pacing in front of the windows, her arms wrapped tightly around her chest.  I watch her as I meekly continue into the room.

She comes to a halt when she sees me and all she does is stare...at the costume…at me in it.  It had to be a lot to take in. I don't know what else to do, so I just stand there. All the pride I had been feeling a moment ago is gone. Now I am all kinds of embarrassed and not sure where to put my hands. After a few abortive movements, I finally put my hands behind my back...just like a child being reprimanded. Just perfect!

May is in full parent mode now, “Start talking...now!” she says darkly.  And of course, my stomach flips as I immediately obey...because I am the child in this scenario.

I slowly sink onto the couch, “I...” my voice cracks… I try again, “I…I’m so sorry, Aunt May,” I say earnestly as I twist the Spider-Man mask still in my hands.  I don’t know what else to say so of course I start babbling.  Worse...I can’t stop. “I should have told you. I know it was wrong to do that.   I shouldn’t have kept this from you. I am so-”

She holds up one hand and puts the other hand to her forehead.  She looks a little faint as she turns to me. “Peter…are you…” she takes a breath, “Are you…the Spider-Man?” 

My voice is small and resigned as I finally say it, “…yes.”  I finally admit to her the one thing I had been trying not to admit since that spider bite.  All this time, hiding it...to protect her, to not make her worry and here it was - the day I had been dreading. And not 5 minutes ago, I had been on top of the world!

God could this day be any more of an emotional rollercoaster for me?

Not knowing what to say next, I just sit there, looking up at her.   She sighs heavily, “How…how did this happen? " Her eyes narrow and she leans forward, "Tell me the truth Peter…all of it.  No more lies.”  She stands there stoically waiting for me to talk.

For a moment all I can think about is how hurt and betrayed she sounds right now and how much she is going to hate me when she knows the whole truth.

Suddenly my stomach is roiling as I stare at the mask in my hands.  My mind is spinning. I don’t want to tell her.  I don’t want her to know what I did.  I am not ready for her to hate me. I tense as I sense movement as she comes over to the couch.  She slowly sits next to me.

All the anger that had been radiating off of her seems to have dissipated as she hesitantly places her hand on my shoulder. “Peter, you have to let me in.  It is okay...I’m your family, and you can tell me anything…I promise.”  Her tone is now warm and kind which almost makes it worse. 

This is it - I brace myself to lose the only family I know.  I take a deep breath and begin.

“Do you remember that school trip last year?  It was about 8 months ago? When we went to that new science museum?”

She nodded, “Yeah, that was when you got that really bad cold and missed like 2 days of school…” her voice trailed off and her eyes widened in realization.

She meets my eye as I began telling her what it, in fact, was.  “Yeah, not a cold.  During that trip – I was bitten by a spider.  But...turns out...not just any ordinary spider...”

As I talk, the words start to pour out of my mouth like a spring turning into a raging river that can’t be stopped. 

“…and it was amazing, I was so strong, with these…like…super human reflexes.  I could heal super quick and then I found out that I could literally climb walls!” My voice is now reflecting pure joy as I remember those first few heady days, back to when my powers were new and exciting.

“I was getting really good at parkour.  I mean I was actually thinking of going professional.” I'm smiling at the memory of how I honestly thought that I would be able to use these powers in a sports competition.  I shake my head ruefully.

“So how did you get from extreme sports to Spider-Man?” May is looking at me with open curiosity on her face.  Her question was so innocent and yet cuts me to the core.

My face falls and the memories all come rushing back. “It was that day I was out with Uncle Ben and…” I feel her tense up next to me, as she suddenly knows what I'm about to say.

And now, I will break her heart all over again.  My voice is monotone as I relived that horrible day.  I had never told her what happened, and she never asked.  But she told me if I needed to talk about it, she would always be there for me. 

However, because of what happened, I never had any intention of ever telling her. I so wanted to keep this from her even though the guilt of what happened was a such heavy burden to bear.  So, in a weird way, it was actually a relief to finally get it all off my chest.  To stop lying about-

...How I failed Uncle Ben. 

So, I tell her how we had just stepped out of the store together and I was so excited about the video game he had just bought for me. And in the next moment everything changed.

I recounted it all:

...How this man had stuck a gun in my face and told Uncle Ben to give him his wallet.

...How Uncle Ben had pushed me back and away from the man and the guy had turned his gun on Uncle Ben and then fired.  

...How I had been looking at my Uncle’s face as he was trying to tell me to run when the bullet had struck him. 

...How I had just stood there…

...How I didn’t do anything to save the man who had raised me since I was a child.

Bringing back the memory, brings back the pain of losing him.  It is almost too much for me.  “I’m so sorry,” I whisper, not sure where to look now that the truth is out. “I swear, if I could go back and change it.  I would give anything…” I shut my eyes to the pain, “I should have taken that bullet...not him...”

I turn my face away in shame.  She can't want to look at my face right now.  I move to get up but then I feel her hand on my arm stopping me.

For a moment we stay like this but then she tugs me back down onto the couch and she gently touches my face, raising my chin to force me to make eye contact.

Her face is blotchy with contained grief.  It seems as if she can’t catch her breath, “Peter, please…. you have to know it wasn’t your fault,” she says quietly.

“Yes, Aunt May…it was,” as a sob comes boiling out of me.  I finally admit it.  I killed Uncle Ben.

“No Peter, stop..."

“May, I can…I can lift a truck with my bare hands.  And my reflexes are off the charts...I should have done  _something!_   Instead...what did I do?  I just stood there as that man shot Uncle Ben.  I’m just standing there doing  _nothing_ …while he…died.”  And now I am well and truly crying.

“Peter.  No matter how strong you are, or how fast, you were just a child...14 years old and you had never even seen a gun before…” She grabs my shoulders as she looks at me…searching my eyes. 

I am not sure what she is looking for.  And I don’t know how to make her understand that what I did was unforgivable.

The ticking of the kitchen clock is almost deafening in the silence.  Her sigh is loud.

“Peter...I get it.” she finally says.  She takes my hands as she forces me to make eye contact, shaking them whenever I look away.  “I do.  I know you feel like it was your fault.  And I get it.  But if you are going to insist on blaming yourself, then you also need to accept that  _I_  will never...nor could I ever, blame you for what happened.  The only person...the only one responsible for that is the man that pulled the trigger.  Do you understand?” Her voice is steely, and I am a little confused by what she is saying.

She doesn't blame me?  She doesn't...hate me?

As I watch her face, her expression softens, “Do you know what I also think?  I think that Ben died in front of you and that was a horrible thing to have to witness for anyone, let alone a kid.  But on top of that, you had these amazing powers that didn’t stop it from happening.  You feel like you failed him, and it is eating you up inside.” She leans back a little to let me absorb what she is saying, “And I think that this is what all this Spider-Man is about.  You can’t bring Ben back, so you keep going out there trying to save everyone else. Trying to make up for your imagined failure.”

I duck my head.... her words are hitting home.

She shakes my hand, making me look at her again, “Peter, I know you miss him, I miss him too,” she says. “It hurts, every day. But it hurts so much worse to know that you’ll carry this with you and there’s nothing I can do to fix it.”

“I get why you need Spider-Man, I do.  But you  _have_  to forgive yourself.  Otherwise, you will only wind up taking the responsibility for everything and everyone and that is too much of a burden for anyone to bear.  Eventually...you will crack. And when that happens, you will make a mistake that gets people hurt...or worse...yourself killed.”

She pulls me towards her as she wraps her arms around me. “Peter…I love you and I am proud of you for what you have been doing. However, I’m going to be selfish here.  You also have to be safe…because if something happened to you...I don't know what I... Peter, you’re all I have left.”

“And, if Uncle Ben were here, he would tell you the same thing.  You know he would.”  I duck my head in agreement.

She smiles and sighs as she muses up my hair, “God, he would be  _so_  proud of you!”

And I completely break down when she says this…

\------

It's late...May and I have been talking for hours and I've told her everything.  Well, almost everything.  All the truly dangerous bits are glossed over - obviously!

As I sit there, I realize how much weight had been lifted off me.  The guilt I had over Uncle Ben’s death had been a heavy burden that I didn’t even know I had been carrying.  I would always feel a sense of responsibility for what happened but talking to May had really helped me to put it into perspective.

But, I would always regret not being able to save my Uncle Ben. 

Right now though, I am still trying to process the fact that May didn’t hate me or blame me and was in fact supporting me.  She isn’t yelling at me to stop being Spider-Man and she has questions about  _everything_.  It reminded me of Ned after he found out.

Of course, not everything is cool with her.  When I was showing Aunt May my videos that I had made in Germany I came across the first resistance. 

May speaks up, “Hang on a minute!  So that weekend trip wasn't in New York?  Tony Stark took you to Germany?  Germany!  And why exactly did they need to bring you into this whole battle with Captain America?  God, it is so weird to be having this conversation!”

For a second, I thought about it, “You know, honestly I’m not sure.  Mr. Stark asked for my help, so of course I jumped at the chance. The fight was insane though.  I fought this man with a metal arm, and another guys called the Falcon, I think...and...and Captain America!  And I held my own against both of them!  Oh, and then there was this one guy, he was able to shrink as small as an ant and grow as large as a... a house.  I mean I really helped to take him down.  It was epic.“  I couldn’t keep the excitement out of my voice when I recounted the battle.

My Aunt’s eyes narrowed as I foolishly continued to speak.  I suddenly realized, that she did NOT find it "epic" and my words were not helping my case.  She seemed plenty pissed at Mr. Stark right now and said as much.  He was the one that gave me this suit, he took me to Germany, he encouraged me to be Spider-Man.  He had also lied to Aunt May…letting her think that the time I was out fighting crime as Spider-Man was actually time I was spending doing the much talked about “Stark Internship."

Before her head exploded, I tried to defend him, “May, he has really looked out for me this whole time.  Always trying to keep me safe.  And he gave me this suit.  It's so much safer than my old costume.”  I turned my hands looking at the suit I still had on.  It was definitely a massive upgrade from my own design and my voice had an air of reverence as I spoke. 

Aunt May shudders, “Peter.  He also encouraged you to put your life in danger.  Don’t you get that?“

“No, Aunt May, it’s not like that. Really.”

“Uh huh…. And how were you involved in that mess when Stark’s plane that went down?  I saw the news and it said Spider-Man was involved along with some guy called the Vulture.  God, the media sure do love their nicknames…”

I pause, remembering the conversation I had in Mr. Toomes’ car and then later when he tried to kill me after the plane crash.  That was definitely an eye opener for me, but I still made it out okay.  I couldn’t stop being Spider-Man, so definitely not going to say too much about that one.

"Yeah, that time was just me.  I know it was Mr. Stark's plane, but he had nothing to do with it...he didn't even know about it.  See he had taken back my suit after the Ferry incident.  He was worried that I could have gotten hurt, so he took back my suit thinking I would stop being Spiderman." I watched May's expression as I told her this...it seemed like she was off the Tony Stark war path hearing that he was worried about me too.

"But when I found out Mr. … err I mean...the Vulture, was trying to steal all the alien tech on that plane and sell it to the highest bidder...I had to stop him, suit or no suit.  But during the fight the plane got damaged and was going down.  I  _had_  to turn the plane so it wouldn't crash in the city-.”

“WHAT! How? You can’t fly a plane..."

I desperately tried to avoid her gaze as I admitted, “Well…I was…wasn’t actually inside the plane…I was stuck on the outside. I pulled the flaps using my webs to make it turn.” At her horrified look I rushed on, “Aunt May…If I hadn’t done it...that plane would have crashed right in the middle of a neighborhood and God knows how many people would have died.”

She just stared at me, “Wait...you…managed to turn a 747 plane?  By yourself?  How strong are you exactly?”  I had to smile at her reaction.  Her and Ned would definitely have a lot to talk about!

Silence fills the room.  It isn't a bad kind, but now I know the tricky part is coming up.

“So, uh…what now?” I hesitate to ask but I  _need_  to know.  I sit there picking at imaginary thread on my suit as I nervously watch her.

She sighs heavily, “I don’t know Peter.  As your guardian, I imagine I should ground you for life and then sue Mr. Stark into eternity for gross negligence and endangerment of a minor.” She sighs again, “But... I also know that if I did that, you would still find a way to go out...even if it meant lying to me to my face.”

She stares at me as I sit there still as stone, not a word of protest leaves my lips.  There is no way I can disagree with her assessment.  She knew me too well - I would find a way to be Spiderman...with or without her.  Hopefully I can convince her.

Finally, I stand and move over to the window.  Then I turn and face her and take a deep breath.

“Aunt May, I am sorry I didn’t tell you, I truly am.  But, it wasn’t because I was worried about you saying no because, honestly...your right.  I would find a way to do it anyway."  I looked down at my hands at that.

I continue, "I didn’t tell you...because I was ashamed about how I failed Uncle Ben and I thought you would hate me.  It was selfish.  And I am sorry.  You'll never know how much.  And while I don't want you worry-” I looked down at my hands again.

May shakes her head and looks away.  She knows what I'm going to say next.

But I press my case.  She needs to understand. “I can't not be Spider-Man, either!  I AM him. It’s not just a costume I wear. It’s these amazing abilities...powers...that allow me to do some good in this world. And I refuse to not try and help people that need it.  As long as I am able, I will always try to do the right thing.  Always!"  I look at her willing her to understand what I am trying to say. 

"It's just who I am and... who I want to be.”

“Fuck,” Aunt May lets out a loud sound, almost a sob, but not quite. 

She gets up from the couch and comes over to give me a huge hug.  There are tears in her eyes. 

“God damn it Peter.  I am so damn proud of you but also so god damn - angry.  How can you be this stupid, brave, amazing and... stupid?”

She looks at me unsure what to do next until, with a sigh, she seems to deflate completely.

“It's late.  I need to...sleep on it, I guess?” she says abruptly. “I am going to go to my room and let myself be angry and sad for a while. And YOU... get some sleep too.  We will talk more about this tomorrow."  She sees my look, "Hey, I'm not saying no but we need to talk more about this when our heads are clearer...okay?"

Since that's a way better response than I expected so I quickly comply.

And the next day we do just that.  We have a spirited round of "It's too dangerous to be Spider-Man" and "I need, to be Spider-Man!" but after many hours of arguing and pleading and then begging with many promises to be safe and responsible, she agreed.  

I couldn't believe how lucky I was!  She was going to let me be Spider-Man!  She supported my reasons and decisions and I agreed to be careful. 

Of course, she demanded Mr. Stark’s number and I heard quite a bit of yelling when she called him up to 'discuss' things, but in the end, she agreed that I could continue being Spider-Man!  Life was finally looking up for me!

Of course, that was then...this was now...


	3. Rock and a Hard Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to the main action...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really sorry if this is crap...I wrote this quickly so there are probably tons of mistakes. Please feel free to point out so i can correct!
> 
> Fair warning, there is some graphic violence in this one. I'll try to warn you going forward.

As I struggle to process my situation, the events leading up to it start to come back to me.

It was almost like a perfect storm of events leading up to this point…

Earlier I was swinging across the rooftops after an evening of helping people.  I was heading home early because I had a test tomorrow. May had made it clear that my grades came first, so I needed to be in before 8 so I would have time to study before bed?  I was tired but content.  It was a good night.  I paused on one rooftop admiring the sunset.

As I stand there, I think back to all the people I had helped.  The best was when I, honest to god, helped get a cat out of a tree –  _guess I can check that off my bucket list_

I was smiling as I thought about how happy that little girl was when I placed the rescued kitten back into her arms.  

Just then I heard a bloodcurdling scream.  My instincts went into hyper drive and I literally jump off the building, shooting my webs outwards towards the screams.

As I rounded the corner, below me was a horrifying scene.  A mother was hanging out of her apartment window trying desperately to reach a young girl who was slipping off the edge of the fire escape.  With a squeak of terror… the girl falls.  The screams of the mother are heart wrenching.

With no time to think - I desperately dive trying to reach the kid in time.  We were about 5 flights up.  A fall from that height would absolutely kill the child.

When I catch the girl. I literally wrapped myself around her as I twist my body and try to fling a web to the fire escape behind me.  But in my panic, I misjudged where I was aiming, and my webbing missed the mark.  As the ground came rapidly up to greet us, I did my best to cradle the child and take the impact of the fall for her.

Now, I ain’t gonna lie, even with my super powers, that hurt!  The back of my head throbbed where it had slammed into the sidewalk, the concrete under me had shattered upon impact.  I had landed more on my right arm and I could feel pain shoot up through my shoulder.

At first, I can’t even move or breath, the wind was knocked out of me.  But more important...I have to know if the child is okay.  I struggle to sit up, gasping for air, using my good arm to untangle myself from the little girl trying to see if she is injured.

“Hey there, kiddo...You okay? Please be okay!”  I held my breath until she lifted her head, stared at me and started wailing.  She was scared...but she was alive.  I let out a huge sigh of relief as I fall back.

The people that had gathered around as we fell, had been in stunned silence for a few seconds after we crashed.  A relieved cheer broke out when they too saw the little girl was okay.

But then, no one is sure what to do next.  When a cop comes rushing over, everyone is quick to let him take charge. “Holy Shit!  What the hell happened?  Is everyone okay?"

“Oh...uh, hi...Off… Officer!  Ah...Well, you see...this little girl...uh fell out of the window up there and I... I was trying to save her.”

I am never good on the whole hero explanation part.  Plus, the blow to my head had my thoughts a bit out of whack. 

The officer looks up in amazement holding his hand to his eyes to better see where I was pointing.  He looks down at me and then back up again. “You fell from up there?  You kidding me?  Uh, Buddy, how is your back not broken!”

He then takes in the fact that the concrete under me is shattered as I struggle to sit up while holding onto the girl. "Hey, hold up there.  You should take it easy." The officer holds his hands out towards me trying to stop me from getting up. My head is still spinning...I realize I should really listen to the officer. I nod and ease back down onto the pavement.  I rest for a moment as I try to get my breath back.

Meanwhile, the child is clinging to me now as she is crying out for her mother.  The crowd is starting to grow so the police officer tells everyone to get back...give us space. He is speaking into his radio, probably asking for back up. I see people all around just looking at me and talking to each other. As the crowd continues to get bigger, I am getting concerned as to how I can get out of here before it gets awkward.

More importantly, my arms are full with one very frightened toddler and I don’t know what to do.  The officer had stepped away to speak into his radio.  I can hear him call for backup and medical assistance.  It should be time for me to leave, but I can’t just let the little girl go, I need to make sure she gets back to her-

“AMY!!!!”

A woman is pushing her way through the crowd and she rushes up to us.  The girl turns at hearing her name and reaches out for her mother who has rushed up to us. Mom almost falls over us in her haste to get to her child. 

She quickly wraps the girl into her arms and sobs into her neck.  Then just as quickly, she pulls away from the girl as runs her hands over her child to confirm that there aren’t any injuries. It is only after she is sure the girl is unharmed that she looks over as if noticing me for the first time.

“Oh my god.  Spider-Man!  Thank you so much!  Thank you, Spider-Man!  You saved my little girl!”  My heart beats a little faster. 

This is why I am out there every night.  Why I need to be Spider-Man.  And it is what makes it all worth it...to me.  To know that I have made a difference in someone’s life.  Tonight, I saved a child's life.  For a moment I feel I have made a dent in the debt I owe to my Uncle Ben.

I am drawn out of my thoughts as the officer returns observing the mother-daughter reunion.  "Miss...is your little girl okay?  I have called for an ambulance.  As soon as they get here, they can check her out...just in case.  If you would wait right here, I will take your statement in just a minute.“  He says this as he turns to me, "Okay, that was an amazing save there, buddy.  But that was one hell of a landing.  Are you okay...Spider-Man is it?”

And that is my que to get out of Dodge.  I have been here way longer than I should.  I quickly bounce to my feet. I desperately try to hide the dizziness when I stand and the flash of pain from my head and arm.

“Thank You Officer, but I am good.  Well I had better be off.  Good Night Sir...Ma'am…”  I try to use my best  _Super Hero_  voice and before he can say anything, I quickly use my good arm to shoot out a web and jump into a swing that will take me away from any more questions.  I glance back to see the officer watch me go before turning to lady who is sobbing into her daughter's hair as she sits on the curb.

As I swing over, the people in the crowd below are pointing at me and calling out my name.  Quite a few have their phones out...I wonder how many recorded the whole incident. I am sure there will be plenty of footage on YouTube for Aunt May to find within the hour, but that can’t be helped.  Besides, I am too happy about saving a life tonight to worry about it now. 

Once I was far enough away - clear of curious civilian eyes - I paused to take stock of my injuries. 

I don't even have to voice the question...Karen immediately speaks up, “Peter, I am detecting a concussion and bruising on your back and left shoulder.  Your right arm also has a fracture of the upper humerus.  I recommend that you seek medical attention immediately.”

“Thanks Karen, yeah I took that fall a bit harder than I meant to back there.  But I'll be right as rain after a night of rest - super healing remember?  But don’t worry, I’m totally done for tonight."  I test my arm, and it definitely is sore, but still:

"No need to worry Mr. Stark or Aunt May, okay?”

The last thing I need is for May to great me as I get home and freak out when she sees me.  I've gotten quite a few bruises and fractures over the year and they always look worse than they are.  And they are usually gone the next day after a good night's sleep.  It is times like this when I am really grateful for my healing power...it has definitely come in handy with my crime fighting!  Karen acquiesces after I promise to go straight home and no more dangerous missions.

In hindsight, I should have taken my injuries more seriously as I think the concussion put my Spidey senses out of whack, allowing me to be caught by surprise.

I decided to take my time as I continued on my way home and so that is how I even saw that poor homeless man…and that stupid cart.

It wasn't any big deal, just a simple little task to help the poor dude out.  I saw the guy struggling in an alley trying to right a shopping cart with all his stuff.  It had gotten stuck on the curb and was tipping over.

Easy fix!  I just popped down to help him. It was easy as breathing to lift the cart back up for him.

He had started when I first landed, but seeing it was Spider-Man, he eagerly stepped back to let me get the thing righted and put a few of the items back in that had fallen out. One last little good deed before I called it a night and got some much-needed rest.

I gave him a little wave and reached to rub my sore arm when everything went sideways.

\-----

He had just turned towards me with a smile and a thank you still on his lips when suddenly his expression turned to shock as I was struck by some kind of energy blast.  The force of it slammed me into the wall behind me and sent the poor man flying.  Luckily, he flew into a pile of trash bags instead of a wall, but I didn’t have time to check if he was okay as I was hit again with another blast.

My spider senses were starting to give me warnings now, so I tried to swing away but got clipped in the side by another blast.

"Karen!  Can you tell where this guy is? Karen...Karen?"  There was no answer.  The blast must have knocked out my suit's AI.  I was going to be fighting this one alone.

_Damn it!  Think Spider-Man!_

Okay...so I didn't know who was attacking me or where they were.  All I did know was I had to get this fight far away from the man below.  The old man didn't have any super powers and another blast like the other would likely kill him.

Desperate, I shot my webbing further down the alleyway and jumped away just as another shot rang out. Angry energy bolts crawled across the surface of the building chasing behind me as I desperately tried to dodge. Then I was hit again.  This one disoriented me as it hit me right in the back of the head causing me to tumble out of the sky and slam into the ground for a second time that night. Again, the breath was knocked out of me, causing me to lose focus.  But I was still aware enough to know I shouldn't stay in one place for too long. Here on the ground I was vulnerable, and I still didn't where the shooter was.

Since I was a good distance away from the man now, I focused on getting away myself. Quickly shaking my head, I launched both web slingers to get more force as I tried again to get up and away from my attacker.

This time the blast hit me square in my chest slamming me into and then through the brick wall of the building behind me.  Luckily (or unluckily) the building was old and abandoned so no one else was injured. But unfortunately for me, the structure was so weak I wound up falling down through 4 floors before I stopped.

I lay there for who knows how long as debris continued to rain down on me.  I had a moment of panic thinking that I was again trapped under a building.  Shaking off my panic, I concentrated on getting up and back to the problem at hand.

But the problem had apparently already found me.  I looked up still dazed at a figure standing over me.  The next thing I saw was the crackle of electricity as some kind of weapon came smashing towards my face and then everything went black.

\-----

When I woke up, I found myself here…wherever here was…and in a very bad situation seeing as I was tied up and my mask was off.

_Not good..._

As I looked up at the man in front of me, I tried to keep my face from showing my fear, but when I saw the look on the man’s face, all pretense of bravery fled.

Standing in front of me was the man from the Ferry.  His name came rushing back to me from when Karen was helping me figure out who was who on the deck below me – I heard Karen’s description from that day in my head -  _Mac Gargan…extensive criminal record, including homicide._

I still recognized him even though his face has a horrific scar on one side which only made him even more intimidating.  But nothing can compare to the cold hatred in his eyes.

_So not good!_

“Well, well, well…look who we have here.” He smiles coldly as he moves to stand directly in front of me.  He crouches down.  “If it isn’t the…what do you call yourself?  Oh yeah, the “Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man”.  But…” he stands again chuckling, “you don’t look old enough to have earned that name...kiddo!” 

Oh, that never gets old.  I roll my eyes, “Yeah, yeah get it all out.  Everyone’s got something to say about how I’m too young…whatever.” 

The words come out of me before I realize it.  Usually I only get this smart mouthed while wearing the mask. 

And somehow, I didn’t notice that the man’s whole arm has been encased in some kind of metal sleeve - kind of like Bucky’s...

...until he smashes it into my face. 

I see stars for a second and my vision does that tunnel thing where you might pass out.

_Okay, what the…so...this is not going to be fun._

“Shut up kid!  I had enough of your smart mouth the last time we met.” He holds his arm up to my face and I can see the glow of the alien tech on it.  He definitely got an upgrade. “Though I guess I have you to thank for this awesome new arm.” 

I would like to point out that he doesn’t sound grateful at all.

My head is pounding, and I am confused.  “What? What is it- what do you want?” It doesn’t look like a good situation and I need time to process…to… make a plan, maybe?

“What do I want?  Well, let me tell you, kid.  I need information on one Tony Stark and since _you_ and he are such great buddies – you guys working together on that Ferry – I figure you could be the person to talk to. Plus…” 

He pauses to punch me again.  My face explodes in new levels of pain and he laughs when he hears me groan in pain. “...I get a chance to pay _you_ back for the Ferry.”

He grasps my chin with his fingers and moves my face from side to side. "My god. You're literally are a kid, aren't you? How old are you really? 13? 14?"

His verbal jabs hit the mark and I hate it.  Embarrassed, I jerk my chin out of his hands.  The pain flares in my face and arm as I do, but I look away, trying very hard not to let him see my reaction.

He sees and is grinning as he shrugs.  "Don't matter...,"  as he punches me in the stomach this time. "I can break...anyone."

The blow is coupled with a blast of the energy from his arm gadget and it takes all the air out of my chest.  I am left kind of stunned and blinking as my body tries to remember how to breath.

My heart skips a beat at the word “break”.

I am trouble...quite a lot of trouble.  I have been kidnapped by an unhinged gang member and he is going to try and get information out of me...using torture. 

And I can’t tell him anything.  I can’t endanger Mr. Stark.  What am I going to do?  I decided to play dumb. I pray I can convince him...

 “Listen, Mr. Gargan…sir?  I have to tell you…I really don’t know anything.”

He smiles coldly and turns to walk away from me towards a table sitting by the wall as I continue to babble on, “Seriously, I can’t answer any questions I don’t know the answers to.  I’m not really that close to Mr. Stark.  He and I barely speak.  In fact, I haven’t talked to him in over a…what day is it…a month…at least a month.  He also says I'm just a kid, so I don’t get to come to any of the super-secret meetings.  I can’t- “

The whole time I am talking, he is standing with his back to me taking off the casing around his arm.  But then he slowly turns around and my voice dies in my throat.  In his hand is the largest knife that I have ever seen.  I swallow rapidly and watch as he walks casually back over to me.  The look on his face makes me want to shrink back in on myself.  But with my arms pulled behind me, there's literally nothing I can do.

I have never felt so exposed.

“You see, here's the thing.  I don’t think you mean "can’t".  I think...you mean “won’t”…. so we're going to play a little game.” 

He finally is standing right over me and I would be forced to look straight up to look him in the face.  But my eyes never leave the knife.  He slowly lowers it until it is casually resting on my shoulder.  As he taps the flat of it on my shoulder, he starts talking and the dry way he speaks is enough to make me feel a little faint.

“Know what I love about knives?  It's the fear the instill.  I mean, sure...it's always fun using them.  They can do a lot of damage to a body.  But the fear…even before any cutting is done... Well that's something special."  He looks at me intently, "Wouldn’t you agree?"

He give a barking laugh then, "Oh you look positively terrified right now, so I'm gonna take that as a ‘Yes’." The cruel smile that crosses his face was truly terrifying.  And his voice gets soft, as he watches me, "Good...good.  Let’s begin, shall we?”

As he is talking, he slowly moves the knife down until the point is pointed directly into the space just below the collarbone.  When he stops talking, he starts pushing. 

It's obvious he knows what he is doing and now I am terrified.  And the pain is… indescribable.  I grit my teeth and try to ride it out, but my eyes are tearing up and I my breathing is erratic as I desperately try not to scream.  I don't know what to do and my eyes are flying around trying desperately not to see what is happening.  And he hasn’t even asked me anything yet.

And then he stops pushing.  I can only sit there… panting heavily as I wait to see what he is going to do next.  It is almost worse now… knowing what the pain will feel like and then having to wait to see if he will do it again.

I don't have to wait long.  He suddenly yanks the knife out in one swift motion and the shock and new kind of pain leaves me breathless.

“Okay.  So, here are the rules.  I'll ask a question and you will answer.  And if I don't like the answer..."  He shrugs his shoulders and holds up the knife.

"Ready?  First question.  Tell me about..." He tilts his head as he speaks.  His voice goes from playful to lethal in seconds, "the location of Stark’s new headquarters.”

And for some truly insane reason, the only thing that goes through my mind is  _He ain't getting any information out of me_.

 

"I...I think he said...something about Disney World?"  _Woah_... _I don't recall my mind telling me to be a smart mouth about it!_

"Oh, ho, ho.  Spider-Man is a comedian, huh.  Well tell me how funny you find this..." I am not sure why I am surprised when he punches me.  Honestly, what did I expect? 

A part of me knows it's stupid to fight him like this, but I just can seem to help it.  I don't know where this stubbornness is coming from.  

Once I am able to breathe again and I pant for a few seconds before I look up at him.  Then I spit and glare at him as I do it again, "Sorry man, gotta say...you need to work on your material." 

_Oh no.  No, no, no!  STOP!!  What am I doing?_

It's like my mouth is completely disconnected from my brain!  Although...there is a part of me that chuckles at how red Gargan's face gets seeing my defiance.

He leans down and asks his question again.  I can tell he is getting frustrated, which means he might make a mistake.  And if he does, I have to be ready.  I try to stay focused on my new, completely desperate plan. It's the only thing I have right now. 

As he continues getting mad for my uncooperative attitude, I am quietly trying to work my arms lose.  But whatever the cuffs are made of, it’s really strong.  I can't even budge them.  The broken arm isn't really helping the situation either.  It should heal just fine, but it would take time.  Time I am not sure I have much of.

My focus is instantly brought back to him when  his presses the wound in my shoulder.  His hand squeezes it in such a way that it is clear he has done this many times before.  I can't hold back the tears now.  "Hey!  I'm talking to you.  Don’t be rude!   Where. Is. Stark's. New. Headquarters?" He punctuates each word with a squeeze which sends shooting pain through my whole body in wave after wave.

“I... don’t...know!” I manage to get out. 

And then he is pressing the knife back in.  As he continues, the new levels of pain are too much.  I actually scream this time until I blessedly pass out.


	4. I. Don't. KNOW!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter is struggling to not give in as Gargan tortures him.
> 
> fair warning...not a fun time for Peter

 “Hey! Wake up!” The shock of the water thrown in my face causes me to jerk back suddenly awake.  Gargan slams a water bottle onto the table and the walks back over towards me. 

"You need to wake up there...Spider-kid."  His voice is extremely sarcastic and instantly makes me wish I was unconscious again but instead, I continue sputtering as the water drips from my hair and face.

"I'm awake," I whisper hoarsely as my head drops once I realize where I am.  I had for a moment thought it was all a bad dream, but the pain in my shoulder where the knife wound is and the ache in my broken arm quickly dispel any hope that this wasn’t real.  And then there is my face...which let's be honest, might have a few fractures in it as well.

A shiver runs up my spine as he starts talking again, "I asked you a question and I am still waiting for an ans-   Hey!  I’m talking to you. Pay attention!" , he punches me in the face...again. I wasn't expecting it so my head snaps back, causing the throbbing pain in my shoulder and arm to flare up again.

I lift my head and glare back at my tormentor.  My head feels like it is one massive bruise, the last blow had me seeing stars and I am pretty sure he broke my nose.  The pain is everywhere, and I can seem to escape it.  I struggle to shift my body to at least take the pressure off my arms and maybe then I can clear my head.  Try to think.  

"Good...now. Let’s get back to our little chat, shall we?  Okay, where were we?”

“Uh…you were asking me about Mr. Stark’s new headquarters and not listening when I tell you - I. Don’t. Know!"  It is so obviously a lie but what else can I say?  

This guy was bad news.  He wasn't holding back at all.  He had nothing to lose and he wouldn’t hesitate to kill me.  But I couldn't give him anything due to threat of violence.  I had a feeling the outcome would be the same either way.

Knowing this I am more scared than I have ever been in my life. Gargan isn’t just some small-town crook; he knows what he is doing.  Plus he apparently had a very personal grudge against me for what happened on the Ferry.  It was pretty clear that he was going to get his pound of flesh for what had happened to him.

What he is saying confirms my fears, “…done playing around you little shit!  You have already cost my crew way too much money, so you are going to give me something or I am going to hurt you a lot more..."

Gulping in fear, I try again.  “I... can’t, I honestly can't tell you...anything.” I tell him. “It doesn't matter what you do. I don’t have answers to your questions.”  My tone is extremely earnest – hoping against hope he will believe me and stop this madness.

But he seems too far gone as he ignores my protests and continues as if I hadn't said anything, "So you’re going to start talking, now!  The Avengers – where are they?  What are they working on?  Do they know about me?”

“Uh…I don’t know.”

“Uh...I think you do.”

“No…I swear…I don’t!” my voice has a hint of anger in it now.  He just won't take no for an answer!

"Fine," he says. "You can't say I didn't warn you." He looks down at the knife, and then lightening quick, he jams it straight down into my shoulder. 

The pain causes my vision to go white as it explodes throughout my whole body.

I gasp in shock as I quickly squeeze my eyes shut to block his face out.  But is too late...I saw it…just like the last time - the evil joy on his face right before he struck. This makes me both sick to my stomach and pissed off. I decide not to give him the satisfaction of reacting, so I grit my teeth as I try to ride out the pain...again.

Don't think about it. Think about anything else. The Avengers.  Happy.  Aunt May. Michelle. Ned. Ned's Lego death star. Star Wars. Han Solo... Han Solo getting tortured by Darth Vader...it must have felt like this. Crap...I circled round to pain again...damn it!  But all I can think about is that it hurts...so much...

And then...he pulls the knife out.  This time, there is no time to prepare myself... the scream is practically ripped out of me.

"Yeah, not so quippy anymore are you?" he responds. "Well guess what kiddo?  This is gonna get a whole lot worse for you if you don't give me information.  Tell me what you do know?"

But with everything happening to me, I can’t think clearly and I realize I am babbling now, “What do you want me to say?  Captain America is a fugitive?  Vision is a robot? Mr. Stark is away...probably on some secret mission?  I don’t know about anyone else.”

“What about the new facility upstate?  Tell me about that.”

“From what I saw, not much.   It’s big?  There are a lot of guards?  You’ll never get in there?”

All right, you little asshole," crazy man uses the knife again.  This time it’s jammed into my other shoulder.

My whole world constricts to the single source of pain I am feeling. 

There's a delayed reaction and then my brain goes sort of fuzzy. I shake my head back and forth, and I realize I am mentally detaching from what is going on.

He yanks the knife out and watches me as I shudder helplessly in the chair.  And I can’t get away as waves of pain keep rolling over me with no end in sight.  “Listen you...I'm done being nice.  You are going to give me more details about the new Avengers location, now!  You just admitted you’ve been there.  Talk!  Tell me what you saw!" 

My heart drops as I realize what happened.  I'd just given up intel and didn’t even realize it.  Some great Avenger I'm turning out to be.  I bet Mr. Stark or Captain America wouldn’t have made such a mistake.

For so long, all I had wanted, wanted desperately, was to be an Avenger, to belong.  Show Mr. Stark that I could be part of the team, what I was capable of.  But I knew that he saw me as just a kid and here I was… proving him right.

My first real test and I’m failing miserably! 

Gargan sees that I am not paying attention, so he grabs my shoulder and squeezes...hard.  I can't shut it out, and I can't focus on anything else anymore. It’s all too much and I start to lose it.

"S-stop," I moan. "S-stop. Please."

"Or what?" He squeezes it harder this time.

I try to scream but it just comes out as a hoarse croak.

"You want this to end? Then tell me about the Headquarters.  Anything will do." He moves to the other shoulder.

My eyes widen as I watch him move the knife to my other shoulder and in a panic, I quickly start talking, "I didn’t really see anything!  I was in the back of a car and I wasn’t paying attention.  But I saw a couple of gates to go through and some guards. Then I was in a garage, and elevator an office and back to the garage.  They didn’t give me any grand tour and I was only there for like 20 minutes to meet Mr. Stark and then I left.  I swear to you I don’t know anything else."

I’m practically begging, and I hate myself for it.  The threat of more pain is almost overwhelming, I can't take much more of this.

Gargan on the other hand seems very pleased, "Okay, now we are getting somewhere. Tell me more about this visit with Mr. Stark.  Why did he meet with you?"

I try once more to convince this guy that I have no information to give, "He wanted to tell me to stop trying to contact him to be an Avenger!" Desperately, I try to flip the script on my visit. 

"Really?  You have been pretty cozy lately and there was the ferry incident.  You guys worked together on that one.  I know...I was there."

"No, that was him fixing the mess I had made!"

"But then how did he know about it then?  You guys must be in regular communication.  When is the last time he contacted you?"

"I haven't spoken to him since that visit." 

"Okay, then where is he staying right now?

“Are you even listening to me?  I don’t KNOW!” and then I scream oh so loudly as the bastard pushes his knife back into the first wound again.  And I thought it hurt the first two times.

“Your lying.  Where is he?”

"I DON'T KNOW," I scream as I pant helplessly.  “I'm just a kid, remember?  I really wanted to be an Avenger, but all they saw was...same as you, a kid pretending to be a superhero.   They shut me out of the Avengers…okay?  So...I. Don’t. Know…ANYTHING. I'm not included in any of their plans...I don’t have access to any intel...I know nothing.  I can’t tell you anything…you can…you can torture me all you want, but there isn’t anything more I can give you."

My heart is beating like a drum in my chest after my little outburst.  Exhausted, my head falls to my chest as my whole-body shudders with pain both mental and physical and then my vision begins to grow dark at the edges.

Just as I begin to lose consciousness, I hear the tiniest beeping sound and it gives me the first glimmer of hope since waking up in this hellhole.

Could it be?

Was Karen back up?  Could she get me help?  Is it possible that this nightmare might finally end? 

The glimmer of hope follows me down as the darkness claims me.  And to escape the horror of my situation, I am only too glad to go.


	5. What is the strength of a Spider?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay guys! My birthday was this weekend and we did quite a bit of celebrating. 
> 
> This chapter also has graphic description of violence...fair warning!
> 
> Hope you enjoy. As always...comments feedback welcome!

Another splash of water to my face to wake me up...another punch to the face to make sure I am paying attention.  

But now - to my horror - there is a knife sticking out of me.  My mind is like molasses as I struggle to overcome the pain and process what is happening.

Gargan is screaming at me, his face looming close to my own.  I can smell his foul breath and feel the spittle hitting my face as he becomes increasingly angry.  "Talk!  I know you have information to give me...TALK!"

The bastard grabs and presses on the knife.  He is rewarded by a horrible sound that escapes me. I can’t think anymore, so I say the only thing that comes to mind at this point...

"I... DON’T....KNOW!” It has almost become my mantra. My brain can’t manage anything more.

Apparently, that was the wrong answer, so he pulls the knife out and...

It is at this point that I fully accept that I am really not going to survive this.  Even thinking it before, I still honestly held out hope, but now...well...

I would like to think that I was all brave and strong at this point...but that isn’t true. I am terrified of what is going to happen next.  

Does that mean I am broken…abso-fucking-lutely. Can’t get much more broken right about now and I hate myself as I begin to beg.

"Please...no more... don't-  I don't...know...p-p-lease," I sob over and over.  My head hangs down utterly defeated.

I hear a chuckle above me and I reluctantly look up into his face.

He is watching me and then he puts the knife tip up to my chest again...and this spot...this one could kill me.  I frantically look at him, not sure what to do.  Does he still want information?  But the insane look in his eyes tells me that this is it.

And then all I can think about is that knife as it inches its way into me.

I try to not to breath; every movement is an agony as he continues.  It's a horrible feeling and my fear is choking me. "Why are you...  Why are you doing this?"  My voice is hoarse.  I no longer have the strength to scream.

He looked at me wish such raw hate, it made me try to shrink away from him, but I couldn't.  "You fucked up big time when you messed with us on the ferry, Spiderman.”  He spits out my name.  “My whole operation was destroyed.  My gang all in jail, all my hard work went up in smoke.”  He looked me full in the eye now, “And it’s all because of you.  I'm gonna get payback...one way or another.  If you won’t give me the information, then I’ll settle with making you suffer…a lot.”  

As he speaks he keeps pushing the knife in.  I am shaking my head trying to process.  This…is this personal?  Is that why he is doing this?

“I’m...sorry.  Okay?  For-for whatever I-“, but he doesn’t let me finish.

“Yeah…I bet you are.”  The blade moves further in causing me to forget everything else. “You know, originally I was going to have my guys take you out while I was in prison, but this…oh this is way better.”

As he says the last, the knife hilt hits my skin with a sickeningly wet sound.

My body keeps trying to arch away from it and then convulsing back in on itself.  I am struggling with the inability to curl my body defensively which makes it all the more painful and horrifying.

There is this strange moment of absolute silence – shock from me and contemplation from him.

I really have no idea what to do at this point…blood is now slowly dripping on the floor from my multiple wounds. And I have no idea what will happen when he pulls the knife out.  Most likely I'll bleed out.  As I think this, I can feel it in my chest and my lungs feel weird...I'm pretty sure he punctured it.

He leaves the knife in my chest as he moves back to watch me.  And I am honestly not sure if this is a good or bad thing.  I can feel the knife every time I take a deep breath, so I keep them shallow as I try to center myself.  I watch him with increasing dreed.

He seems agitated.  He is looking at me and rubbing his jaw.  Sighing, he turns away, “Well…shit…this isn’t making you suffer nearly as much as I would have liked."

I look at him incredulously,  _Is he fucking crazy?  I'm not suffering…enough??_  

He is clearly insane, and this will not end well for me.  But then the one thought that gives me a semblance of comfort is knowing that while I am not making it out of here alive, at least my family and friends are safe.

And then as if he read my damn mind, he continues, "Hmmm...how else could I..."  He gets this horrible glint in his eye as he holds up a hand as if to ask a question, "Hey, kid...let's talk about...your family.  I bet you love 'em, don't ya?”

My head snaps up as he says this and my face pales as my blood runs cold.

He laughs out loud at my new expression of fear. “Oh...Yeeeeaaah, now, we're talking.  This is perfect.  Yeah…I think I'll just pay them a visit.  After we're done here..."  He waves at me in a way that leaves me with no delusion about what is going to happen next.

At my resigned look, he gives a cold laugh.  "You ain’t stupid, are you?  Good…good then you'll understand this part too.  You may think they're safe because I don't know your name.  And I don’t have time to waste trying to get it out of you, but...don't matter."  He leans casually against the table ticking off his points as he talks. "I know what you look like, you’re too young to not be in high school and... you’re local. So, all I have to do is have my boys search all the schools until I find the one that is missing a kid that matches your description."

He stands up and gets a very manic glint in his eye, "And then, I'm gonna give the school a little visit…find out who your friends are…find out where you live. And when I do, I am going to make sure everyone you care about suffers...a lot...before I slit their throats." His expression is pure evil as he steps towards me.  "Just like I'm gonna do to you.  You can think about that while you bleed out...” 

_Oh my god!  This cannot be happening! Aunt May! Ned! MJ...no!_

God...the thought of him hurting them is too terrifying to contemplate. And suddenly there is an insane surge of adrenalin that floods my body. 

My thoughts are now laser focused on one thing and one thing only - I have to stop Grogan. He can't find any of the people I care about - my friends or Aunt May.

_Live or die...I HAVE to stop him. Nothing else matters._

As he steps forward to take the knife in my chest, all the coiled-up tension in me explodes and I suddenly tip back in the chair, swing my legs up and grab him around the neck using my feet. His arms instantly come up to his neck, but I am desperate now and this time he can’t...he won't stop me.

“You're mad at me?  Want to take it out on me?  Fine, I can take it. But innocent people...people I care about?  Sorry Dude, NOT gonna happen!!” As I say this, I kick him as hard as I can in his face.

His head snaps back and he goes straight into the table behind him. I hear a loud bang as his head smashes into the table.

He drops to the floor like a rock.

But my momentum causes me to fall back in the opposite direction. And of course, I land on the broken arm which obligingly shoots yet another flash of pain through my arm. The discomfort of having my arms so tightly bound behind me makes it all so much worse. I can’t help but cry out when I land...all the pain is just overwhelming.  I never knew you could feel this much pain and not die.

And let's not forget the giant knife sticking out of my chest.

I lay there for a moment breathing heavily and trying to not throw up.

But my situation is still pretty dangerous - I am bound to a chair with multiple stab wounds and my tormentor is lying motionless less than 10 feet away - so I try to motivate myself to keep going.

_Come on Peter.  You gotta get up.  No time to rest now - that guy could wake up any moment!_

Slowly I roll to my side, moaning as I struggle to get the chair out from under me. My arms had been hooked over the back and the chair had broken when I fell so in this position, I am able to wiggle up and off the chair.  Both of my shoulders scream in protest. The stab wounds are through muscle that is in agony with every movement, but finally I am able to move.

One challenge down…about 50 more to go!

It seems like everything is taking way too long. 

And now I am kneeling with my arms behind me.

Desperately, despite the pain, I test the bonds again, but they still don’t budge.  The pulling only makes the pain in my chest flare up reminding me that I am in a really bad situation. I look down and try really hard not to freak out but...

_Holy shit!  There is a giant ass knife sticking out of my chest!!_

Suddenly there are crashing sounds behind me. In a panic, I jump to my feet to find the room is shaking and dust is falling everywhere and then it looks like the ceiling is collapsing as...

 _Iron Man_  comes crashing through the ceiling!

When I see who it is, the sense of relief is almost overwhelming. I have never been so happy to see him in my life and I almost cry tears of joy when I realize that he is really here.  I don't have to do this on my own anymore.

“PETER!”

Mr. Stark comes to an abrupt halt when he sees me, and I practically sob with relief. But then the adrenalin that had kept me going seems to disappear and everything goes all wobbly.  I can’t stand up any more.  I fall back onto my knees.  In an instant, Iron Man is there to catch me as I start to fall forward. This is a good thing because I had forgotten about that stupid knife.

“Hey...I gotcha kid. It's okay...I gotcha...” His voice is calm and clearer than I expected. I look up to see he has removed his faceplate. The look on his face is unreadable, but I can see a bit of fear there.  He is looking me over and I can tell the exact moment he sees the knife.

'Oh...my...god..." His arms are around me tighten for a moment and then he carefully leans me back. I watch him looking me over, his eyes now full of panic now, not unlike that mom from earlier tonight...god that seemed like a lifetime ago!

Mr. Stark curses over and over as he takes in each of my injuries. And then he is murmuring reassurances to me as he eases me back to get my legs out from under me.

He carefully turns me to try and get my arms free.  I feel as he uses the suit's boasters to shatter the restraints.  

The pressure on my arms suddenly disappears and I groan in relief.  But now I am feeling a different pressure on my chest.  

And it is a weird feeling to have the great Iron Man sitting on the basement floor as I am sprawled in his lap like a child.  

But as he is worried about me, all I can think about is the guilt I feel for failing the Avengers...giving out information I shouldn't have.

“I am sorry Mr. Stark, I tried, but…but…” just then the stress of what I had just gone through hit me all at once, the shame of giving in, the pain everywhere in my body, the lack of sleep and I literally passed out mid-sentence.

As I slipped into the darkness for what seems like the 15th time tonight, I could hear Mr. Stark's voice full of fear as it is followed me down...

“No…no…no! Hey, stay with me kid...Parker…PETER!  Shit!  Rhodey get your ass in here, NOW!  For fuck's sake...there's a goddamned knife... We have to get... Oh my god..."

But I don't hear the rest...


	6. Recovery is a Long Road to Travel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter...still working out my ideas.
> 
> Will try to update soon. 
> 
> Keep the comments coming...they definitely are helping to motivate me!

The next think I know, I wake up in a hospital bed...and everything aches. I take a deep breath and blink a few times to get my bearings.

As I am trying to focus on where I am... how I got here, the events of last night return in a rush. My heart rate starts to speed up as I start to panic.  

I start to sit up, looking around my room and I am happy (but surprised) to see Mr. Stark is sitting across from me. Seeing him I realize I am safe now and the horror show is finally over.

He is looking down as he thumbs through a magazine on his lap. But he hears me groan and he quickly looks up.  Seeing I am awake, he jumps up and moves over to the bed. "Well look at you! You are awake!  Doctors told us you would be out for another day! Hey kid... take it easy there, you have some serious injuries..."

His voice trails off as he watches me sit all the way up in the bed, "Uh...you shouldn't be able to do that yet..."

I sigh, it is so frustrating - just like being treated like a kid - he always forgets that I heal super-fast.  I test my arm and find the fracture is almost fully healed.  As is a lot of the damage to my face.  The stab wounds are going to take longer, but most of them are on the road to recovery.  The one in my chest though, that one was bad.  It will take longer, but even then, it should be fully healed in a week. 

When I say as much to Mr. Stark, he can only shake his head in wonder. "Wow Parker, if that had been me, I would be in intensive care for another month!"

I duck my head as I mutter, "How else do you think I got away with hiding I was Spider-Man from Aunt May for so long?"

Tony swings his head at that, but I ignore it as saying her name suddenly reminds me of her.  In a panic, I quickly twist my body to get out of the bed.  The motion doesn't do any favors to my chest wound and my hand ghosts up to hold it automatically.  I ignore the pain as I exclaim, "Aunt May!  How am I going to explain all this?"

I look at him with panic in my eyes and voice, "She can't find out about this...she will never forgive me...I promised her I would stay safe!  She's gonna...she's so gonna ground me-" But Mr. Stark holds up a hand as he interrupts me with a shake of his head.  He pushes me gently back into the bed.

"Yeah...Peter, you have been missing most of the night...that ship has sailed." He gives me a look that makes me think I am in for an earful the next time I see my Aunt.

Crap!  This isn't fair.  I have been trying to be careful and still something bad happened.  How am I going to be able to convince Aunt May that I should be able to continue being Spider-Man now?

My face must have shown my distress because Mr. Stark starts speaking again. "Hey Kiddo...don't worry.  I talked her down." He subconsciously rubbed his cheek as he spoke which immediately told me May's first reaction to the news wasn't pleasant.

"She and I had a long discussion and I think she trusts that I will not let something like this happen again."

Suddenly I really need to see her, hug her, "Mr. Stark...where is my Aunt?"

"Well, like I said earlier, the doctors said you would be out for hours, so I insisted she go get something to eat.  I told her I would watch you.  She should be back soon...unless you don't want to see her just yet?"

I sigh, "No!  I need her right now.  Besides, I'll have to talk to her some time.  Hopefully she won't freak out too badly."

Mr. Stark nods, "Yeah, you two should sort all this out now. And while you are doing that, I can check out your suit AI...I want to do a full diagnostic on Karen to find out why she didn't warn us about the attack when it first happened."

"Mr. Stark, it wasn't Karen's fault.  The very first energy blast knocked her out."

He looked at me and nodded his head, "Yeah...yeah that probably was it, but still, I need to make sure..."

As I watched the man deep in thought on how to better protect me, I suddenly I feel a rush of guilt for how I had already failed the team.

I can’t remember  _everything_  that happened, my head hurts and my thoughts are scattered.  But what I do remember is telling Gargan about the new Avengers facility.  I need to be completely honest with Mr. Stark...no matter what happens.

"Mr. Stark..." I begin. "I'm sorry..."

He looks at me with a blank look on his face, “What now?”

"I told Gargan information about the new Avengers facility…I didn’t mean to...but-"

"Okay, I’m gonna stop you right there, kid," he holds up a hand.

He sounds really mad.

I shut up instantly. I am sure I am in so much trouble now…my heart constricts.

"Let me be very clear here. Are you listening?” He leaned forward and puts up two fingers which he then ticks off, “One…There is no way you could have told him anything I would be concerned about, okay?  And Two…and this is most important – it doesn’t matter if you did.  At...all.”

His face gets this odd expression on it, “Peter…you understand that man was torturing you. I am literally blown away that you didn’t tell him everything you knew.  You have had no training on how to handle torture and yet you managed to deal with an incredibly scary and dangerous situation and still only give up minor intel. You even took out the bad guy before we got there. If anyone should be apologizing, it’s me. I’m sorry Peter, I really am. I should have been watching out for you better.”

“No…no…Mr. Stark – it’s not your fault. I was the one that interrupted that sting on the Ferry.  And I was the reason Gargan got so injured that he wanted revenge on you. I was- “

I was interrupted again when Mr. Stark put his hand on my arm. When I looked up at him, he took his sunglasses off and his face was like marble. When he spoke, his voice was choked with emotion, “Peter…this is not about fault, okay.  We almost lost you.  You didn’t do anything wrong. And I promise that from now on, you will be included in all Avengers activities in New York…okay?  You can stay in Queens, but I'm gonna make sure you have ways to get help next time."

My heart skips when he says that.  He didn't realize the effect those words had on me -  _next time?_

I am thinking that this was a one-time event, but his words really bring it home...this could happen again?  I gulp and misreading my reaction Mr. Stark sits down on my bed next to me and looks at me for a moment.  He looks away as he fiddles with his sunglasses. “Peter, my suit was designed to protect you from things like this. This should have never happened. This is on me, kid…not you."

This makes me feel a bit better.  Silence falls for a moment. I can’t help but see Mr. Stark's struggle control his emotions. I decide to change the subject…

"How'd you find me?" I ask.

Here I sense he is on safer ground, as he begins to tell me what had happened since I was…taken.


	7. What Happened to Peter?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...since first person can be daunting... I thought I would add in a few 3rd person chapters.
> 
> More of the chapter added...And I am STILL writing it, lol.
> 
> Hopefully you like and makes you want more!
> 
> Also, I hope you all are okay that I am also editing previous chapters...as I go, I try to reread to make sure it makes sense. Sometimes I catch a grammar mistake and other times its tonal issues. But hopefully they are all good changes!
> 
> Thank you again for all the great feedback. I must admit, it is very inspiring to me to continue writing!

**_24 hours earlier_ **

 

****

Tony and Pepper were getting ready to head out to a late-night dinner party.  He had just turned to the staircase as Pepper was coming down the stairs.  His heart skipped a beat as he watched her.  She looked lovely as ever and he noticed she was wearing his favorite little black dress. 

Tonight, was going to definitely be a good night!  He still couldn't believe she had come back to him after everything that had happened last year.  But then one day, there she was standing at his door looking lovely as ever.

Of course, it was to yell at him for taking one 15-year-old Peter Parker to Germany, but it had been the beginning.  And here they were stronger than ever.  He couldn't spend enough time with her and was really looking forward to tonight!

So naturally his phone goes off.  He, of course, ignored it - tonight was their night out.  He wouldn't let work interfere with Date Night!  Not anymore.

As Pepper walked over to the hall table to get her purse, she heard the phone ring again.

And then it rings a third time.

Pepper saw how Tony kept ending the call, not even looking at it.  She knew he was trying to avoid work and make this night just about them and she loved him for it. 

But she also knew that Tony had a very important job as Iron Man and she now loved him for that too.

When the phone rang a fourth time, she gave a little smile as she raised an eyebrow.  “Tony…I think you should answer that…it might be important.”

When he looked at her shaking his head, she nodded back at him.  She put her hand on his arm. “Yes Tony…really …it’s okay.  The party will still be there!"

Tony dipped his head in apology and quickly glanced at the caller id. “It’s...Happy?  But he usually won’t bother me this late…” She could read the rest of that sentence in his eyes - _unless it was an emergency_.  He maintains eye contact as he quickly dialed the man back.  The call was picked up almost immediately.

“Talk to me, Hap-” He was interrupted by the frantic voice on the other end and as he listened, Tony’s smile drained from his face.  He stands straight as if on alert and now he clutches the phone like a lifeline.

Pepper is now on high alert…this wasn’t good. “What…when?  Do we have a last location?  Okay, okay…yeah, I know!  I’ll head there... “, he quickly glanced at his watch, “Give me 10 minutes.”

Pepper could clearly hear the faint voice of Happy on the other end, “Tony…can you make it 5?”

As Tony hung up and turned to her, Pepper’s unspoken question was answered.  “It’s Peter…”  Hearing that name, Pepper’s stomach clenched in fear, "he’s missing.”  Tony’s face was pinched with worry.

Pepper's heart thudded in her chest - Peter! 

When she had first found out about Spider-Man, she was initially furious with Tony that he had let a 15-year-old child go to Germany and participate in that fiasco at the airport. 

But once she had met him and heard him talk about how important being Spider-Man was to him, she understood why Tony encouraged him.  And of course, the boy had almost effortlessly found a place in her heart. 

Truth be told, if it wasn't for Peter, her and Tony might never have gotten back together.  She would forever be in his debt on that one.

But he was also a truly special young man that she wanted to protect, which was why she was surprised when she heard that May Parker had allowed Peter to continue to be Spider-Man once she found out.  

As someone with a similar situation, Pepper was immensely impressed with how well May accepted the fact that her nephew was a crime fighting superhero.

When she had first met May, both women had instantly bonded over their shared experiences.  There were conversations on how to deal with the whole hero’s complex that Tony and Peter both had.  It was actually a blessing in disguise for Pepper to have someone else to talk to. Someone who understood.

In a way, having each other had helped the relationships both women had with their respective super hero.   Pepper helped May with Peter because, though he would never admit it, Tony was a lot like Peter. 

And May helped Pepper to accept that Tony would always be Iron Man and to love that part of him too. 

She truly admired the woman who she now considered a friend.  But it was nothing to the feelings that Tony had for the young man.  She could tell that Tony was terrified that something had happened to Peter.

Pepper’s eyes flicked to the clock on the wall…11 pm on a school night…not good.  When May had allowed Peter to continue being Spider-Man, one of her ground rules was that he had to maintain his grades.  Peter took this very seriously, so for him not to be home by now - was not a good sign.

It was clear that Peter was in trouble and needed Tony’s help.  It was equally clear that Tony would do nothing else until the boy was safe.  She of course didn’t even hesitate:

“Go…go, I’ll call Happy for the details.  Do you want me to call Rhodey?   Have him meet you there?”

Pepper had already pulled out her phone and was thumbing through it to Happy’s number.  She was in full emergency mode now and Tony was instantly reminded of why he loved this woman so much.

She was always the strong, stable pilot in every storm that he dragged her into. She was already talking to Happy and turning to head for his office.

He reached over and gave her a quick kiss and a sincere, “Babe, god I love you!” and then he turned to run up the stairs.

\-----

The Iron Man suit landed hard in an alleyway.  This was the last location before Karen went offline and Tony had pushed the suit to new limits to get there as soon as possible.  

Friday searched the area for any signs as to what happened there giving Tony the information as quickly as she received it, “Tony, I am detecting energy weapons discharge on the walls of the building behind you as well as the shopping cart to your right.”  Graphs and data streamed across the screen inside the suit and Tony frantically soaked it all in.  

There didn't seem to be much there, which frustrated the man.

Desperate, Tony checked to make sure the site was empty and then quickly exited the suit to look around the site first hand.  He could still smell a faint metallic odor that was probably related to the discharge Friday had spoken of, but otherwise, there wasn’t much to tell here.

Tony's heart was tight, and he could feel the tension in his chest.  This couldn't be happening!  He couldn't just lose the kid.  His mind was spinning with all the worst scenarios possible but the one that he always managed to resist was that the young man was dead.  He clung to the fact that he hadn't found a body and then hated that he had that as his only positive right now.

When Tony had first found out about Spider-Man, he intrigued.  Someone was running around Queens saving people from danger, stopping cars with his bare hands and wearing the most god-awful costume ever.  But something about the videos made him research and using one of his suits to quietly track the mysterious hero and found out where they lived.  

He had originally thought it was funny, a kid running around behind his parent's back...climbing walls and swinging on string...calling himself Spider-Man.  He decided to recruit him for Germany on a whim (and boy did Pepper ream him out when she found out about that...of course May had some choice words for him on that matter as well.) but over time, he began to see Peter as more than just some kid playing hero and instead realized he now thought of him as "his" kid.

And one day, he realized he really cared about the kid.  Happy had the same realization and it was hard for them both to admit that...they cared...truly cared about this hyper bundle of energy of a kid.  He talked way too much, was desperate for their approval, never listened to them...and they couldn't imagine life without him.

...and now this! Tony's throat constricted as he tried to swallow the fear that swelled up within.

Luckily, Friday's voice interrupted his emerging panic attack.  “Sir, I have located several strands of webbing on the building 10 meters to your left.  There is a trail that leads to the next block.”  Tony shook off his dark thoughts to quickly return to the suit.  He then follows Friday’s directions until he located the building with collapsed floors. 

As he was sifting through the debris, Friday confirmed that there had been an energy discharge at this location as well.  He found what looked like a depression that vaguely resembled a body shape and saw drag marks out of the space.  Tony was sure that this was where Peter had fallen and that he must have been knocked unconscious at this point and dragged away.

Tony followed the drag marks, but they suddenly disappeared near the rear door to the building.  He quickly moved through the door and looked up and down the street…nothing.

Just then James Rhodes (aka Rhodey and more importantly right now...Tony's best friend) landed in the War Machine suit next to Tony.  “Anything?”

Tony kicked a brick in frustration, “No!  The trail runs cold here…dammit!  This is all my fault!”

Rhodes quickly held up a hand, “Whoa…how do you figure that?”

Tony ignored him, “We won’t find anything more here.  And... I need to talk to May.  She needs to be notified and maybe she might have a clue as to what happened…”  The faint hope in his voice was hard for Rhodey to hear, but all he could do was support his friend.

“Okay…so what do you need me to do?”

Tony thought a moment and then, “Get back to headquarters and contact the local police stations.  See if they have any information.”  Then he said in a much more subdued voice, “While I will go...get May…see if she has heard anything.  I’ll get back as soon as I can, but Rhodey...keep me posted, okay?”

“Understood Tony…but before you head off for what is sure to be an emotionally charged conversation.  Tell me…how this is all  _your_ fault...exactly?”  Rhodey walked over and put his hand on Tony’s suit to prevent him from running away from the question.

Tony sighed heavily, “I…I should have made his suit better...given him more protection.  If I had…none of this would have happened.”  The anguish he could hear in Tony’s voice scared Rhodey a little. 

Tony was usually the picture of calm in even the most stressful situation.  Rhodey knew how much the kid meant to Tony…heck everyone at the Avengers Headquarters had already fallen in love with the boy…but for Tony, it was so much more. 

Rhodey had seen how having someone to mentor had changed his friend.  He was more caring and less stressed.  His relationship with Pepper had vastly improved Tony as a man.  For this to happen to Peter and on his watch, it must be tearing him to pieces.

“Tony…you can't possibly build a machine that will protect him from everything.  It's just not possible and most likely would result in another Ultron."  He paused to let that sink in.  "We will find him…okay?  I promise, we won’t give up…we will find him and bring him home.”

Tony gave a short nod and then blasted off towards Peter’s house.

Rhodes gave a slight shake of his head…he knew that no matter what he said, Tony was not going to forgive himself if anything happened to the kid.  With nothing else to be done here, he too blasted off, heading back home.

\---------

May had come home from work and found dinner sitting on the table for her.  She smiled thinking of how lucky she was to have such a great kid.   _And a super hero to boot!_ She was still getting used to the whole Spider-Man thing, but she had to admit that she was proud of Peter. 

After their long discussion about his continuing his nightly “patrols” (as he liked to call them) she had come up with some ground rules:  his grades couldn’t suffer, bedtime was still 9 and he had to try and avoid any truly dangerous situations.  She remembered the grin plastered on his face from ear to ear as he had promised to do all that and more. 

She still worried for him every night, but as time went on and he kept to all the rules, she was hard pressed to say that he wasn’t holding up his end of the bargain.  And he had the backing of Tony Stark’s high-tech suit to help protect him as well. 

She knew she couldn’t protect him from every danger in the world.  And sooner than she would ever have liked, he would be an adult who she couldn’t stop from being a hero.  She made sure that she supported him as much as she could even as she gently guided him towards safe choices.  Hopefully her caution would follow him into adulthood…that was pretty much the best she could hope for.

As she walked into the kitchen, she saw the note next to her plate:

_Hey Aunt May!_

_I hope you had a great day at work.  I made some spaghetti for dinner for you.  Hopefully I am getting better at the pasta?  I am heading out for patrol and should be home by 9._

_Love you! Peter_

She checked Peter’s room to confirm he wasn’t back yet, so she went in to heat up the dinner and then went to sit and watch a movie while she waited for him to return.  There was no way in hell she would go to bed without knowing he was okay.

But after a rough work day she had gotten sleepy from her glass of wine and full belly of yummy comfort food and within 15 minutes, May was sound asleep.

 -------

May was surprised when she woke up on the couch.  She was disorientated for a moment until she realized she must have fallen asleep.  Rubbing her eyes, she looked up at the TV to find the movie she had been watching was long finished.  Yawning, she had gotten up to put her dishes in the sink and then noticed the time…almost midnight!

A shiver went down her spine then.  The apartment suddenly felt eerily quiet…she walked out of the kitchen and slowly went over to Peter’s room.  Pushing the door open, she was silently praying that he had decided not to wake her and that she would see him sprawled in his bed sound asleep.  But when the door hit the wall she could see the room was empty.  Her stomach did a little flip as she got that first feeling of fear.

Just then the phone rang, and she about jumped out of her skin.  Taking a deep breath, she rushed to answer it. 

The hairs on the back of her neck went up when she heard the voice on the other end, “Hey May…sorry to call so late, but…uh...is Peter there?” Pepper was trying to be upbeat, but May could detect the tremor in her voice.

Instantly May knew that something was terribly wrong...

May was forced to say the words she had been dreading since that afternoon when she found Peter in his Spider-Man suit. 

“Oh god…no…what happened?  Where is he?" Her voice broke, "Where's my Peter?”

 


	8. Round in Circles We Go...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this one was a rush...so please forgive any grammar mistakes...let me know if I need to make any changes. All feedback welcome!
> 
> And as always...thank you so much for reading and more importantly...enjoying!

Tony stood outside the door trying to get his heartrate under control. His arm was bothering him again.  He gripped it tightly trying to get the ache under control as well.  Damn it!  It always did this whenever he got stressed.  He quickly shook it out and knocked on the door before he lost his nerve.

The door was flung open before he even finished knocking. Standing in the doorway was May Parker. She looked frantic and desperate when she first opened the door, but seeing it was Tony and not Peter, her face fell.

Tears sprang into her eyes and she bit her lip.

Tony’s jaw worked as he tried to get the words out, “May, I- “

The sound of the slap was loud in the empty hallway.

There was a moment of shocked silence as Tony turned back to see the woman had already turned to go back into the apartment. In a daze he followed her in, not sure what else to do.

Tony rubbed his cheek, ”Okay, I guess I deserve that…”

May had already returned to the door with her coat and bag. She stood in front of him with eyes that burned with anger and unshed tears.

“Yeah…yeah you do."  She snapped at him fuming...but then she seemed to get control of herself and she sighed deeply. "Shit.  I'm... I'm sorry Tony. It's just...I  _really_  want to blame you right now for this. I mean...Peter would have never gotten into this mess if you hadn’t encouraged him with your fancy suit and taking him off to crazy adventures in Germany.” She looked away from him as she was banging her fist against her leg.

His cheek was turning red from where she had hit him and now she was feeling guilty. She sighed again. “But…I also know that Peter, god love him, would never have let Spider-Man go.  And if he only had that crappy outfit he made, it was only a matter of time before he would have wound up seriously hurt...or...”

She left the rest unsaid.

But getting angry again, she moved in close and jammed a finger into his face, “So now...I figure, you owe me!  You bring Peter home, you hear me?  You need to find him Stark. You need to bring him home.  I can’t…” she couldn’t hold back her tears any longer as her hand turned to a fist that she thumped against his chest in time with her words.

Tony for his part, stood quietly and let her vent. His face betrayed none of the raw emotion he was feeling inside.  He watched her as she cried and felt a little jealous that she could express hers while he...could not.

When she looked a little calmer, he put a hand on her shoulder.  He took a breath, “May… I promise you, we WILL find him.  Okay?  You have to believe me that we are doing everything we can…”

May struggled to get her composure back, but she nodded at him and gulped as she angrily wiped her eyes.  “I know… I know… And that is why I am coming with you... back to headquarters.  I need to be there to help if I can.  I need to be there when you find him.” She swiped her keys off the counter and headed out the door.

Turning back, she asked, “You coming?”

Tony lifted an eyebrow and followed her out.  He was impressed with how quickly she had recovered.  May was definitely a strong woman and one to not underestimate.  It looked like she was prepared to drive up to the headquarters right now...but that was at least an hour drive.  He knew she wanted to be there as quickly as possible.

He paused a moment to consider... but then, fuck it... he asked.  

“I can get you there faster if you want…how do you feel about flying…without a plane…?”

\------

Pepper and Rhodes were poring over reports that Friday had collected on police activity to see if there was any clue as to what happened last night.  Natasha was on the computer looking through all the traffic camera videos.

Rhodes announced that he found a police report where a homeless man, taken to a local hospital, had told the first responders that Spider-Man had helped him with his cart and then was struck by lightning.  That looked like a good lead.  Natasha asked for the time and location and then started searching the video files.

While the report did give a little information about what had happened, Rhodes decided to call the hospital to see if there was any way to talk to the man and ask if he might remember anything else.

Pepper listened as he tried to explain to the hospital who he was, but without giving the real reason for asking, he wasn’t getting very far.  In frustration Rhodes thanked whoever was on the phone and ended the call before he started shouting.

Outside, they could hear the telltale sound of Tony’s Iron Man suit and they all turned to the door hoping he might have good news…he didn’t.

But…he did have one very disheveled May Parker with him.  Pepper looked shocked upon seeing her.

“How did…what…?” she rushed over to May to see if she was okay.

May waved off her concern. She patted down her hair and then moved further into the room.

“I’m fine… really, I’m fine.  I didn’t want to waste any more time getting here, so Tony was…uh, gracious enough to bring me.”

Tony had the good sense to look away as the others turned to him in shock.

“What?  I held on to her tightly!”

“And you did… of course, I will never... ever do that again, but I  _am_  grateful.” Turning to the others, May was suddenly all business, “So have you found anything yet?”

Pepper shook herself and focused back on the task at hand. “I'm sorry May.  We haven’t found anything really of use since I spoke to you. We do have a report from a homeless person who said he saw Spider-Man get hit by lightning, but we can’t get access to him. He is currently being treated at a local hospital.”

Natasha spoke up then, “We also found a few security camera videos that captured Peter as he was out and about, but the last video I have...so far, was about 2 hours before his locator went offline.”

May was a little confused, “But why don’t you check the feed from the suit?  That should give you some idea on where to look.”

As she spoke, Tony cursed loudly, ”Oh wow!  She's right...dammit, I totally forgot."  At Rhodes confused expression, Tony explained.  "I set up his suit with a monitoring system as part of the AI.  It is always transmitting video of what he is doing…usually it's just uploaded into our database.  Bit we should be able to check and see what we have on file.”

Tony pulled up the files of Peter’s videos and with a flick of his wrist, the screen appeared in front of the group.  May noted that there were quite a few of them…one for every night that he went out.  Her heart tugged a bit as she worried if there would ever be new files to add-

_Stop it!  He is not dead.  And you will not think this way… it doesn’t help!_

She snapped out of it and returned her attention to Stark as his search found the most recent file.  He clicked on it to play the video.

Instantly the large screen appeared and there May was able to see on the screen what Peter had been up to last night.

It was all from his perspective, but still it was eye opening to see it.

Tony tried to speed past any unrelated the video, but they all could still see Peter doing quite a variety of good deeds.  And she bet he did this kind of stuff every time he went out.

It was so like him to do nice things like help people cross the street, carry some groceries for an old lady, scare off would be muggers.  Heck he even rescued a cat out of a tree. 

But then they watch as he saved a small child falling out of a building and May can't help but feel pride in her boy.  Though her heart was in her throat as he smashed into the ground. 

When the officer was worried he was injured, May wondered how often this type of thing happened...especially when Peter tried to pretend he wasn't injured and bounced up a few minutes later as if nothing happened.

When Karen tried to get Peter to seek medical help, May's heart got heavy.  It was good to know the AI was really looking out for Peter.  But Peter being Peter was stubborn and didn't take her advice.  Based on the conversation she heard, it sounded like this wasn't the first time he had been hurt badly and Karen would try to get him to seek help.  She shuddered to think of how many times he had seriously hurt himself and she didn't know.

Apparently, the last bit she said out loud, because Natasha comes over to put an arm around her, "May don't forget, he has super charged healing powers..."  Even though they both knew her attempt at comfort was a weak one, May gave a watery smile of thanks anyway as she turned back to the screen. 

When the scene changed showing a homeless man struggling with a cart, the group gathered closer round the screen.  All knew this must have been right when whatever happened to Peter…happened.

They all watched intently as he introduced himself to the old man as he righted the cart.  But then suddenly there was a large flash and the video abruptly ended.  Nothing...more.

Tony gave out a frustrated growl and Pepper went over to put a hand on his arm. “Dammit!”

They all sat there a moment utterly defeated.  That video was supposed to be the break they were looking for.

Into the silence, May stood up and loudly clapped her hands. “Okay, look guys, we can’t let this stop us… It's Peter!  How... what about if we ask the police to talk to the home- “

She was interrupted by Friday, “Mr. Stark, the feed from Peter’s suit has just come back online.  We are receiving live feed again. Do you wish me to bring the video it up for you?”

All four in the room almost shouted at the A.I., “Yes!”

And their expectant faces quickly turned to horror as the screen showed what was happening to Peter...right now.

At first, they didn't know what they were looking at, but quite suddenly it became apparent that the mask had been removed from Peter and was lying on the ground in such a way that the camera was facing Peter.  They had a front row seat to whatever was going on.

What they could see, was the back of a man who was leaning over Peter.  They couldn't see the boy yet, but they could hear the desperation in the boy's voice as he pleaded, "I DON’T KNOW!” and then the screams…

May’s face went white when the man stepped away to reveal her nephew bound to a chair.  He looked beaten and bloody but the most horrific part of it all, the man was pulling a knife out of Peter’s chest.

She gasped in complete shock.  Her hand went automatically to her mouth to prevent her own screams from coming out.

Was she really going to see the child she had raised...be killed right in front of her?  "Peter...oh my god!"

They were all frozen as they watched the maniac continue to torment the poor boy.

Suddenly, Tony shook himself and swore loudly.  Then desperately, he demanded, "Friday?!  Do you have a fix on Peter's location now?"

As soon as Friday said, "Yes", both Tony and Rhodes turned and ran out the door. 

The women let them go without questions knowing there was no time to delay.  However, that left them trapped watching the horror show on the screen before them. 

And May did feel trapped...seeing Peter suffer like this was almost unbearable.  She didn't know how much more she could take. 

A soft mantra slipped from her lips, "Please, please Tony...hurry!"

Pepper came over and put her arm around the woman as if to take some of the pain away as she stood with May while on the screen, the man continued to torture Peter.

When the man threatened to harm his family...friends, May was shocked at Peter's reaction.  She saw the exact moment when Peter stopped being a kid taken hostage and became the Spider-Man, just without the mask. 

She actually grunted out a "YES!" when Peter knocked out his captor and was able to break free from the chair.  Yet, as quickly as hope flared, the sight of him on his knees struggling to stay awake with the knife in his chest brought her back to grim reality.

And then Stark was there and they were getting him out of there and back to safety and May was literally sobbing with relief.

"Where?  Where are they taking him?  Will he be okay?" May's eyes were a bit frantic and desperate hope filled her whole being.

Natasha already had her phone out.  "Dr. Cho?  This is a priority 1 emergency.  Please make sure the med lab is ready - Tony is bringing in a critical patient.   That patient is Peter Parker.  They are headed this way as we speak.... Yes...He has severe trauma from multiple stab wounds.  Uh...what?  Oh, his blood type?"

She turned to May, who stared back blankly.  And then she remembered, "Oh... crap...it's uh...AB!  His blood type is AB!"

As Natasha finished the call, Pepper turned to her and gripped her arms.  Her voice was firm, but hopeful.  "May, you need to listen to me.  We have the absolute best medical staff on the planet.  Peter will be in the very best hands possible.  Okay?  So, let's get you down to the med lab so you will be there when he comes in."  She motioned for May to follow her.

With nothing else to do, she followed Pepper hoping against hope that she would somehow get a chance to hug her nephew again.

And if that happened, she would never let him go!


	9. Mentor Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoy. really love writing these types of chapters!

_"How'd you find me?" I ask._

Mr. Stark pulls a packet of nuts out of his pocket as he shifted around on the bed. He munched away looking at me as if trying to decide how best to answer the question.

Huffing, he crumpled the empty bag and then finally spoke, “Well to be honest, we got lucky. For a while there, we had nothing. I mean, we had your last known location and the report on an old man, brought into a local hospital, who said he saw Spider-Man get hit by lightning, but there was nothing else that we could find.”

I straightened at that last part, “Oh…hey…is he okay? The old man…I uh was trying to help him before-”

“What? Oh yeah, yeah. He was shaken up with some bruises, but as far as we know he’s recovered just fine.“

I sighed in relief as I fell back on my pillow. It was really good to know the old man was okay. Then I sat up to listen to the rest of Mr. Stark’s story.

Seeing that I was again listening, he continued, “Yeah…luckily…Karen came back on line and we were able to track you. Rhodey and I made record time getting to you, but still we almost…”  He glanced over at the monitor showing my vital signs.  My eyes followed him, and I knew what was unspoken.

He threw the empty packet into the trash can by my bed and then stood to walk over to the window.  Then turned back to look at me as he leaned against the sill.  “I screwed up kid.” He continued…speaking loudly over my protests, “I should have put protection in the suit against any electromagnetic or energy blasts.  It didn’t even occur to me.  And I’m sorry.  But I’m going to fix this okay?  I’m going to make your suit better and…and…”

“Mr. Stark…please…it wasn’t your fault.” I can’t let him blame himself for this. I move to get out of the bed without thinking.

Tony immediately moves to stop me. But he needs to know, “Mr. Stark…look…I am okay. And I will get better…heck I am almost fully healed!” I stand up, so he can see. The wound in my chest pulls a bit, but I don’t let on because by the end of the day, I should be fit as a fiddle.

However, he shakes his head. “Kid…I’ve been doing this a lot longer.  I’ve been there.  Sure, the body can heal…it’s your mind I am more worried about.  When I was held prisoner in Afghanistan, it really did a number on me physically…but mentally…well, in some ways, I am still dealing with that.  This kind of trauma doesn’t just heal and go away like a bruise or a cut.  It takes work.  I need you to understand this.  I don’t want you just jumping back into it thinking it will all just go back to the way it was…because it won’t.”

I watch him as he speaks, and I can tell he isn’t going to let this go. It’s not that what he is saying isn’t true, it’s just…I am just not ready to deal with it just yet…I tell him this.

He tells me he understands, but he also makes it clear that I will have to deal with it eventually. “I have this Doctor that I talk to. He helped me-“

I groan in frustration, “But Mr. Stark, who will I be able to talk to…really? Everyone knows you are Iron Man. I want to keep my identity secret. It’s not like I can just talk to any Doctor. I mean can you imagine: ‘Oh hey…yeah I am Spider-Man and I need to talk to you about processing some pretty messed up things that happened to me…” But while the list of who knows who I am keeps getting longer.” I shake my head as I point to the door out of the room. “I mean… I am assuming everyone here at the Avenger’s facility knows now? Don’t get me wrong, I want to talk to someone…when I am ready…but who without putting another name on that list?”

Mr. Stark is holding his left wrist as I speak. “Fine…you have a point. Okay…then you need to talk to us. Vision…or Natasha…or me. But you have to talk to someone. You can’t let this fester…it can only endanger you, your ability to be Spider-Man or someone you care about. And it isn’t a sign of weakness or cowardice to ask for help.” He looks at me expectantly. “Am I clear?”

“Fine! I will talk to...Vision, okay? But not right now. I need to just….be me for a bit. What I could really use right now is a talk with Aunt May. Is she here?”

I can see him visibly relax when I agree, which was nice and all…but god…it was so frustrating.

_I am back almost where I started._

The past month, I had been really showing everyone that I could handle being Spider-Man. And now in one night it was all swept away - I was now firmly back in the baby camp. Someone that everyone had to take care of and make sure was okay and not let out of their sight for fear that I could now shatter like glass at the slightest bump…oh joy!

But all that frustration floated away when the door behind Mr. Stark opened and I heard a very welcome voice, “Peter!” and then felt the comforting embrace of Aunt May.


	10. Home at last...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know if you like where this is going! Do you want more action? More angst? More humor? More of a character?  
> I have a basic idea of the story, but I think I can flesh it out in many ways...

After the initial fluster of frantic checking on my well-being, May finally accepts I will live and settled down next to me on the bed. All I can think about is how good it is to be back with her. She is my rock right now (just like she always was before) and I feel safe.

But then the negative thoughts come unbidden to me:  _What about Aunt May? Or my friends? Would they be safe?_

As if she senses my changing mood, she asks, “Peter…are you okay?” She holds me away from her as she searches my eyes.

“I'm okay…”

“But…?”

I try to ask in the most casual tone possible, “Well, I was just wondering…what happened to…the guy…Gargan…I mean…is he okay? I hit him pretty hard.”

Both of their faces show surprise at my concern.  For the man that...

Tony’s voice is hard, “Don't you dare worry about that bastard.  He…is where he belongs."  At my stricken look, he sighed and calmed down, "Rhodey took him to hospital and as soon as he wakes up, he will be formally charged...and arrested.”

_Hospital? Oh man, what did I do to the guy?_

Tony continues seeing that my reaction to the word hospital, “Peter...he will live. And you did absolutely the right thing taking him out.  He was hurt, but you didn’t kill him…so please put that thought out of your mind, okay?”

What he says next alleviates my other concern to some degree, “As for what happens next...well all his tech was confiscated, and he will be going to jail for a long, long time. You don’t have to worry about him anymore, okay?  I want..."  he glanced over at May, "We...need you to focus on your recovery…understood?”

I nod my head, “Okay…okay.  Yes."  I lift my head and stick out my chin, "So, when can I go home then?”

May pipes up in surprise, “Peter, don’t rush this! I saw you when you first came in. You are going to need time…it’s only been a day!”

Shaking my head, I argue back, “May…you are forgetting…one of the perks of being Spider-Man…super-fast healing.” As I say this, I lift both my arms to show her how much I have recovered so far. “I should be ready to go home really soon…tonight even.”

May looked in askance to Tony who just held up his hands in surrender. “Sorry May…the boy is right about the healing…doctors were just as shocked as you. Most of his injuries are either healed or well on their way. However!  I would highly recommend he stay here at least…one more day. In fact, I think I will go check with the doctors and see what they have to say…” He gave a nod to May as he pointed between the two of us, “give you guys some time to discuss...things.”

He gave me a wink as he pulled open the door and then we were alone. Silence filled the room suddenly and for a second, I wasn’t unsure what to do or say.

Would Aunt May want to argue that I couldn’t be Spider-Man anymore? Was she going to get mad at me? Was I going to have to-

May sits looking at me and then simply asks in a voice that only holds concern, “Peter…how are you…really?”

“I promise you May…I'm okay…”

"Are you sure? I mean my god Peter, when I saw that man put a knife–"

That caught me by surprise, “You…you saw what...happened?”

“Well, not everything…just when Karen started transmitting again. That is how Tony and Rhodey were able to track to your location…to get you. Meanwhile, I was here at Avengers Headquarters watching the feed...terrified they wouldn't make it in time. Oh Peter, I thought I was watching you die!” Her eyes welled up as she spoke.

I was in a bit of shock as I realized there was a recording of what happened, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised really. Karen did record everything didn't she. I didn’t know what to think or how to feel about this. I swallowed and tried to focus on something else.

Aunt May’s face had a haunted expression as she watched me.  "Peter,” she asks carefully, “Do you want to talk about what happened?"

I open my mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. I just shake my head as Aunt May quietly moves closer to me on the bed which didn't seem possible, "Oh Peter…I shouldn’t have asked-." she whispers.

I shrug a little and look over at her. “I’m sorry…I’m just…not ready yet.”

“No, I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking. It’s too soon.”

And I wanted to talk about, literally anything else right now. “What do you think the Mr. Stark is telling them?  I hope they will let me leave soon. I just want to get back to our normal routine, you know?  I am missing school too...oh man I don't want to fall behind.”

May looked at me with sympathy, “I know. But let’s see what the Doctor says, okay? I promise we won’t stay any longer than we have to. But you do need to stop trying to rush your recovery. You went through a something…really traumatic. It’s going to take time…okay?”

I nodded and yawned, not really wanting to have this discussion now.

She took the hint, “Listen, I called your school saying you were not feeling well, so you don’t have to worry about today. Your teachers will send me any work you need to do.  And it being Friday, you have the weekend to catch up and more importantly recover."

"And Monday?  Can I go back to school then?"

I think she can hear the desperation in my voice, "Hmmm, let's just take it easy for now. We can discuss what to do on Sunday, deal?"

"Deal...thanks May."  Suddenly I was feeling really tired.  Seeing me yawn yet again, she nods and brushes the hair out of my eyes as I sink back in the bed. My head hits the pillow and all I want is to sleep now as my eyes quickly close.

As I fell asleep, May sat by the bed and kept a comforting hand on me. It was the best thing to help me feel better and I was never so grateful for her as that night.

\---------------

The next day, Dr. Cho came to check on me. She had also been shocked by my recovery. But after doing a few tests, she had to admit that my injuries were almost completely healed. She wanted to do some more tests, but Aunt May put her foot down. I could hear them all talking outside my room.

“But we have no idea how his healing factor works. I want to do some more tests to make sure that-“

May interrupted Dr. Cho, “No. I’m sorry but Peter needs to rest now.  Not more needles or tests that treat him like a lab rat." Her voice went up as she quickly clarified, "Not that you mean it like that!  But right now, what Peter really needs is rest and time. He needs to get back to his regular routine. I am begging you, please...discharge him today and let him do just that. Tony? Please?”

I could hear Mr. Stark clear his throat, “Doctor, I'm going to have to agree with Mrs. Parker on this.  Let’s table those tests for now. When he has fully recovered, we can ask him then.  After he has had time to really process everything that happened.  How-”

The last part of that conversation was lost as the hustle and bustle of a very concerned Happy and Pepper stormed my room. Natasha and Vision followed but in a more reserved mood all crowded into my room. I couldn’t help but smile at the flowers and stuffed bears that were place on my lap. Pepper was amazed by how much better I looked and Happy was just …happy!

It was nice to have all the noise around me to help me drown out my own thoughts as well as the discussion happening outside my door, so I allowed them to pull me into the positive mood of the visit.

Eventually both May and Mr. Stark came back into the room and I was instantly alert for what they would say.  When May announced that I had been cleared to go home today, that's when I really started to relax.

Thanks to them, I was able to return home only a day after the whole nasty affair with... Gargan. My mind wasn't ready to look to closely at the memories, so for right now, I was focused on the Avengers and Aunt May as we prepared to go home. There would be plenty of time to deal with that later. _Maybe never?  I could live with that._

Before I left the facility, Mr. Stark pulled me aside and held out a case. He didn’t say anything and waited to see if I would take it. I looked at him and then back at Aunt May, but she wasn’t looking this way.  When I turned back to Mr. Stark he said, “Don’t worry…I cleared this with her. She didn’t want to make a big deal about it and told me to take care of it.”

He squinted at me, “It isn’t the same suit though. I just downloaded…Karen is it?  Karen into a new suit.”

At my look he added, “I do have back-up suits, Parker.  I mean you are a teenager, so there is bound to be wear and tear…”

I slowly reached out for the case, my hands trembled a bit.

“Hey, kiddo…you don’t have to take it you know. You shouldn’t be going out for a little while, but I thought you would feel better having it back. But you don’t have to-”

I instantly reassured him as I quickly grabbed the case, “No...no!  I really want it, I do. It's just...I didn't think you or Aunt May would...let me...ever again.  So, I really, really appreciate this Mr. Stark, sir!”

“Tony…Peter, my name is Tony.”

“Uh…sorry…I really appreciate this…Tony, sir.”

The eye roll from my mentor was epic and I couldn’t help but laugh.

See getting better already!

\---------------

On the ride home, May and I checked out the new suit. It was almost identical to the old one, but it had that shiny new feel to it. I thanked May again for letting me have it back. She smiled but made me promise that I wouldn’t rush back out.

I saw no reason to argue that point.

Myself wasn’t sure when I would be ready to get back out there either.  But, the fact that they were allowing me the control to decide when...wasn’t lost on me.

In that moment, I absolutely loved them both for giving me the control and the choice.

After May got me settled in my room, she went to the kitchen to make some lunch.

But she quickly popped back in to ask if I had contacted Ned and I suddenly felt incredibly guilty. Ned knew my secret, so the excuse that I was sick wouldn’t have worked for him.

He was probably worried sick.

“Oh, man…I forgot, I forgot!  I'll call him now.” May left as I hopped out of bed to grab my backpack still sitting by my window where I had thrown it as I headed out the other night.

The thought makes me pause.  It's weird thinking that it was only 2 days ago, when it felt like a lifetime ago before...

Shaking the thought out of my head, I pulled out the phone and returned to my bed. As I was dialing his number, I could see the many texts that he sent over night. He must have been worried sick.

The phone picked up on the first ring, “Peter? Pete - you okay? Oh my god...where...where are you?  What happened?  Are you okay!?”

“Hey Ned. I'm okay.  I'm really sorry I didn't call before.  But, yeah, I'm okay now.  I, uh...had a bad night but I'm home now.”

"Oh wow.  Cool.  I saw the videos on YouTube.  I texted you, but you didn't call back.  I was a bit worried but thought you might have been tired or got home late.  But when you didn't come in to school yesterday, that's when I got scared.  What happened?"

Before he could start raining questions on me, I gave him a quick and detail free account of what happened. I hoped that would tide him over for now.

"Wow, sounds like you got really banged up!  But you’re okay now?"  When I told him yes, he quickly asked to come over, but I wasn’t ready for that just yet. So, I told him I still needed to rest, but I would see him at school on Monday.

I quickly changed the subject to school work and what I missed on Friday.  He told me about some homework that I needed to do and some silly interactions he had with MJ...nothing unusual, so I began to relax about falling behind. 

But after I hung up, the thought of going to school on Monday leaves me feeling a bit weird. On the one hand, it would be good to get back to normal life.  I had practically begged May to go, but on the other, no one else but Ned knows about my double life. And even Ned doesn’t know much about what really happened.

Since it was not something I want to worry about just now, I head out to the kitchen to help Aunt May. We spent the rest of the day goofing around and then settled in to watch a movie. All in all, a good day.

_See...still getting better!_

In fact, it was only after I went to my room to go to bed that I even remembered what happened. And then the night stretched out long before me as I was now too nervous to fall asleep. I had only had one nightmare while at the Avenger’s headquarters, but it was enough to make me wary of sleep as soon as I thought about it.

Trying to distract my thoughts, I got up and padded into the kitchen.  As I listened to our apartment…the silence let me know that May was already asleep. I got a glass of milk out of the fridge and then went back into my room.

In the absolute quietness, I stood there just looking at my bed. It was clear I wasn’t going to get any sleep right now, so I decided to do something else.

Feeling like I was doing something wrong…which I probably was…I went to my closet…

I see the Spider-Man suit sitting in the case.

It was going to be a long night….


	11. Out and About...Again

The mask stared up at me from the case as I stood there thinking about what I was doing. Slowly I reached in and pulled it out.

They say that it's best to get back on the horse quickly after a fall so you don’t lose your nerve.  I know am feeling the same way right now.  So, I quickly slip into the costume as I go over to the window.  Sitting on the windowsill, I try to calm my nerves as I look out to the street below.  I need to do this, I tell myself.  I have to get back out there, and I can’t think about it too much. 

Before I lost my nerve, I pulled the mask over my head and jumped.

Instantly, the A.I. system turns on and Karen’s voice piped up. “Good evening Peter. Where are we off to tonight?”

“Hey Karen…not sure, just need to get out for a bit.”  I crawled up the building to the roof and quietly hopped over to the next building. I did this a few more times – until I was far enough from our building.  Then I shot out a web to carry me further up and away out into the night.

For a while I wandered mindlessly around Queens.  I didn’t actively go looking for things to do, but I wound up helping an old lady with her groceries, I follow a couple of kids to make sure they get home safe and I use my webbing to pull a man who wasn’t paying attention out of the way of a car.

I swing away to a load of cursing on that last one…but at least he is alive.

Feeling a bit better, I continue swinging around not paying attention to where I was going until I suddenly realize I had unconsciously traveled back to where the attack the other night had started.

I stood on the roof and looked down at the alley below. My mind was a mix of emotions as I played over what happened down there. I wondered if there might have been something I could have done differently. And then I got flashes of what happened after…

_You see kid, I don’t think you mean can’t.  I think you mean “won’t”…_

_You want this to end? Then tell me about the Headquarters. Anything will do_.

I shake my head to clear it. I pull off my mask and rub my face.

Then I give a huge sigh as I realize I am no longer alone.

I turn around to face my visitor.

“Hey, Mr. Stark…what are you doing here?”

“Tony... I thought I told you to call me Tony” The Iron Man suit landed in front of me on the roof. “And I might ask you the same question... what's up Peter?”

“I couldn’t sleep, and I needed to get out for a bit.  I assume Karen ratted me out?”

“Now that’s not fair…it has nothing to do with Karen…the suit has a tracking device in it remember? When you left the apartment, an alarm - set up by Happy, by the way - went off.” He let the faceplate roll up as he looked down at me and said with a straight face, “I don’t think he is very ‘Happy” right now.”

I shake my head at the horrible joke there, but it does cause me to smile a bit. “I’m sorry, Mr.…Tony, sir. I just needed to see if I could get back into the suit again. If I could go out and be Spider-Man again.”

“Well, the suit videos that came in tonight didn’t show any problems for you being Spider-Man…so yay! However, mind telling me why you came here? To the…scene of the crime as it were?”

“I didn’t…on purpose. I just was wandering and wound up…here.” I look around the alley, but it doesn’t show any real sign of the battle from a few days back. It is all so incredibly…normal.

“Hmmm…I'll allow it.  But I have to ask...you okay kid?”

My jaw clenches, and I don’t say anything.

“Hey…you know you can talk to me. You have to deal with wha- “

“God, why does everyone say that!” I throw up my hands and turned away in frustration. “I mean, do you think I don’t know that?  It’s all I am thinking about for the past few hours and I just needed to…not.”   I pace as I speak.

His eyes follow me with an unreadable expression, “Uh…because we all care about you?”

And I suddenly feel petty as I slump down on the roof edge. “I…I’m…sorry M…uh…Tony. I don’t know why I said that.”

The suit pops open and he steps down to sit next to me. He pats me on the shoulder and shrugs, “Eh…don’t worry about it.”

We sit in comfortable silence for a bit.

Then he straightens up - as if making a decision. He turns towards me, “Kid, I know what you are going through…I really do.”

I must not have looked convinced, because he continued, “Something…bad… happened to me and I also didn’t want to deal with it. I buried it so deep that the eventual breakdown I had caught me totally by surprise. The fallout from that was … well, I lost my mind, my home and it almost cost Pepper…her life. And I _still_ didn’t deal with it.  The end result was I lost my friends and Pepper left me. It was only after I admitted to myself that I needed to face what happened that I was able to deal with it and let it go.”

I didn’t say anything…he had never shared so much with me. I wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing…

He sighed and stood up, “The point is that we are all looking out for you. I meant it when I said that I wanted you to be better.  I don’t want you to have to go through the same minefield I barely made it out of.  This is to protect you and everyone you care about.  So, let us help…okay?”

I nod.

“So…”

“So, I will come and talk to Vision like I said earlier.”

“Well I was kind of hoping that you would talk to me? I mean Vision’s great and all but his ability to empathize with human emotions is… somewhat limited...wouldn't you agree?”

I look at him in surprise. “Oh…I just assumed that you didn’t have time- “

“Peter, I will always have time for you."

I am so embarrassed when I suddenly let out a huge yawn....

It's contagious.  He gives out a big yawn too.  "Yeah, it's late." he says as he walks back to his suit, 'I'd say it's time to get home now.  But, when you are ready, how about you stop by and see me?”

I vigorously nod now.

He steps into the suit and then as it wraps around him again, “Okay…good talk. I suggest you hurry and get back before May finds out you are not home and totally blames me!”

"Right!"  I can’t help but smile and agree to his request. As I turn and shoot out a web towards home, I can hear him take off.

When I get back to my building…doing the same low key jumping back to my building, I remember something Mr. Stark had said. Something about the videos from tonight. I guess they were still watching over me and I asked Karen about it.

“Yes Peter, you know that I record everything you see. And my protocol is to send all videos back to Mr. Stark and Mr. Hogan for review and storage.”

Quickly I climb down to our apartment and into my room. “Do you still have access to those videos?”

“Yes. I have every video that I ever made since you put on the suit.”

That stopped me in my tracks. “Do you...Do you have video from last Thursday?”

“Yes Peter.” Suddenly the screen in my mask shows the video files list and I can see the screen shot for the video. It shows Gargan standing over me. “Do you wish me to play it?”

I suddenly am out of breath and I collapse down on my bed. Karen has the video that Aunt May was talking about. I am pretty sure that Mr. Stark had seen it too.

I realize in that moment, I don’t want to see it.

I rush to stop Karen, just in case. “No! Uh…no, no, that’s okay.” Then I have an idea, “Karen, would it be possible to move that video so that it isn’t in your files?“

“If you want, yes. I can have you download it to wherever you wish. But Peter, then my files would not be complete.”

All I can think about is the fact that the video is in the suit and I don’t want it there. “I understand Karen, but I really need you to show me how.”

Karen being Karen...did as I asked. “And Karen, let’s not tell Mr. Stark or Mr. Hogan about this, okay?”

Luckily, she agrees, because I had no idea what I am doing.

On the plus side, I now find myself extremely tired. I put the USB on my desk and practically collapse in the bed as I pull off my mask, I say a quick

_Good Night!_

to Karen and finally fall into a deep dreamless sleep.


	12. Pear Shaped Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters tonight...What was I thinking??
> 
> Okay, should have reviewed that more...edits made...probably didn't catch them all, but hopefully the flow is better.

The next day, I wake up and immediately look over to my desk where the USB is sitting…oh so innocently.

I carefully go over to the table and then I pick it up. It feels like I am holding a bomb.

“Hey Peter…you up yet?”

I quickly shove it in my pocket as May comes into the room.

Once she confirms I am awake and hungry, she asks what I want to do for the day.

“We are going to just have fun, okay? No thinking about…about anything. No school work, just us, some good food and a day spent doing...whatever we want! Deal?”

I smile. What would I do without her? “Deal!”

And we decide to go see a movie and then a late lunch – sushi of course!

May does her best to distract me all day, and for the most part it works, it just that I keep slipping my hand in my pocket to find the USB there. I know I am doing it subconsciously…somehow needing to know that it is still there.

When we get back to the apartment, I throw it into my backpack and then spend the rest of the evening really trying to really be present with May.

We discuss if it is a good idea to go to school tomorrow and I convince her that I should. I need to get back into my usual routine and I need to see Ned.

My chest is still a little tight from the knife wound, but for the most part, I am pretty much back to normal, so Finally, May has to admit that I am recovered enough, and she agrees I can go.

I decide that I should try and get some sleep, since I was up so late last night. When I go into my room after saying Good Night to May, I think about pulling out the suit again, but then I decide sleep is really needed.

We didn’t do much today, but I find that I am actually really tired, so I decide to give it a try.

And for once, I am right. I fall asleep almost immediately and I have a relatively dream (or more accurately, nightmare) free sleep.

 

\-------

Walking to school on Monday - I was both excited and terrified.

It seems going back to school might be more difficult than I thought.

As I watch all the students moving around the halls, I feel like there is some invisible barrier between me and them. Here I am back from a hellish experience - but from their perspective, a bad case of the flu.

It’s hard to wrap my head around how weird this is. I mean, I know I always tried to hide the fact that I am Spider-Man, but that was more of a game. This was very different…and I am a different person.

As I walk down the hall, I feel…I don’t know. I want to say it’s about the same as before. I have a secret, and no one knows…but this time, I don’t want them to know. Trying to focus on being just a student when so much more was going on below the surface… it was a little overwhelming.

Then Flash is walking towards me.  _Of course!_

He is swaggering until he sees me and then he gets that familiar glint in his eye. The posse he has with him are ready to be his audience. Looks like they are ready to play the Peter Parker humiliation game.

“Hey Penis Parker! Heard you were out sick for a few days last week. I hope it wasn’t something contagious? I hope not...because that means we will have to call you Penis Parker, STD!” The kids with him snicker and he walks past me. Of course, he takes the opportunity to purposely bump into me and I let him push me back. As I fall back into my locker, he and his crew walk on by, laughing.

If I were to be totally honest it wasn’t so much that I let him move me, as I was moved…a bit. I wasn’t truly back to 100% and his shove caused a twinge of pain in my chest. Which of course reminds me very physically of what happened just a few days ago.

My breathing gets short as I feel the twinge in my chest. I actually have to I take a moment to rest before I turn to open my locker.

_CRAP!_

This day is not starting out so good. First Flash seems to have me on his radar and now I might actually be having a panic attack…

_Well, this might not have been a good idea…_

But then a voice brings me back from the edge, "Peter, you're back!" I smile as I whirl around to greet Ned. I have never been so happy to see a friendly face.

"Hi Ned! Yeah - I'm back…"

"It's good to see you! How are you doing?" Ned narrows his eyes and leans in and uses the worst stage whisper ever, "You don’t even look like you got beat up!"

"Shhhhhh!" I glance around worriedly, then I lower my voice. "You sure? Not at all?"

He steps back for a moment and studies my face. It is not a comfortable moment for me, but he doesn’t let it drag on too much longer, “Nah, you look the same as ever. If you didn’t tell me, I would have never known. Is that because of the “powers” you have?” He reaches over to poke my cheek.

"No, cut it out," His geeky joy is a bit infectious though - I fight off a snicker as I knock his hand away. "It's - it just clears up, quickly, that's all. I've been doing this for a while now? Right? You don't ever remember seeing me show up to school with a black eye or a busted lip or anything, do you?"

"Nooooo…” He actually looks up as he thinks, “Not that I recall," Ned nods with a smile. "Wow, that’s a great power to have."

"Yeah, well it comes in handy, that’s for sure. I would have never been able to keep the secret from Aunt May for so long.” I turn to get my books out of my locker and then we head to class.

Ned laughs out loud for that one. Okay, now I know Ned is the best. He is helping me without even knowing it. Plus, he doesn’t really know what happened. I had to admit…Ned was an excellent “Guy in the Chair” even with no chair!  

My thoughts are disrupted as I realize Ned was speaking and I missed a bit of what he said…

He is smiling back at the smile I had on my face, "...bet the fight was epic!" Ned excitedly whispers. "You gotta tell me EVERYTHING."

At Ned’s words, I put my hand in my pocket and feel the USB there with the video on it. I had put it there this morning. I thought about leaving it at the house, but I needed to know where it was at all times. And feeling it in my pocket both comforts me and terrifies me.

Seeing the change on my face, he pauses. "Oh, man, I’m sorry Peter. I didn’t mean it like that," Ned replies. “That wasn’t being a good friend.”

His words give me an idea. And a friend would do this when May or Tony would absolutely not. “Actually…I…” But then I chicken out. “Sorry, never mind...I can’t ask that-”

Ned’s face suddenly gets serious. “No, no ask away! Peter, There isn’t  _anything_  you can’t ask me to do. I mean, “Guy in the Chair…remember?”

I smile again at that…leave it to Ned to use that to convince me

Just then the first morning bell rings. Don’t want to be late for first class!

“Okay then. Hey, can we talk about this at lunch? Any place we could meet in private?”

“I would say the lab, but there is some club meeting there today…how about we meet out by the bleachers by the football field? We shouldn’t run into many people out there.”

Perfect!

Quickly we do our handshake and then rush to our perspective classes.

\---------------

When it’s time for lunch, I head out to the field to find Ned. I see him sitting on the bleachers and I jog over to him.

He looks up when he sees me and the smile on his face just makes my heart feel better…I really do need to spend more time with my friend, he always seems to bring out the best in me.

We start talking about the usual nerd stuff like always as I sit down. It is a brief moment when everything was like it was before…before. But then Ned made a reference to bad ass Han Solo and my mind instantly went to when I had the same thought during…during…

“Pete? Pete, you okay?” Ned put his hand on my shoulder. And I suddenly realized I had zoned out.

“Oh man, sorry Ned! I was just…just…uh…”

Ned looked at me and slowly lowered his hand. “You okay? Was it what happened?” He said it in a loud whisper which was kind of unnecessary as no one was around, but also appropriate because I really didn’t want to bring that out into the open just yet.   But then again, it was Ned, so I turn to him with a nervous laugh.

“I uh…yeah, I kind of had a flash back there.” Now was as good a time as any, so I pull out the USB, looking at it and then him. “I did something…and now I…I don’t know what to do and…it’s all so confusing and weird.”

Ned looked at me and then the USB with a confused expression.

I bit my lip and then it all just came out in a rush… “Okay so I found the baby sitter videos that Karen has on file. I don’t know why they didn’t wipe them before they gave me the suit back. And…one…one of the videos was of  _that_  night…”

Ned looked stunned, “You have a video? Of what happened? How much did it capture?”

“Enough. And then…. I don’t know…why I…but-“ I take a deep breath, “But instead of just deleting it, I downloaded it on this USB.” I hold it up as I looked in askance at Ned. “Ned, could you hold this for me?”

Ned’s mouth is hanging open. He starts nodding his head slowly as I speak. “Oh…uh…yeah! Sure Peter, of course, I can do that.” Then he asks me directly, “But…but shouldn’t you just…like…destroy it?”

I looked at him with pleading eyes, “I can’t…not just yet. I don’t know how to explain this; my emotions are all over the place on this. But for right now, I need to know it is somewhere I could get it if I really need it but at the same time, I don’t want it near me. And I can’t just put it somewhere in my house because... I need to have it outside the house and with someone that I can trust. Could you do this for me Ned? You don’t have to…”

Ned’s face blushed a bit, but he determinedly puts his hand out and I place the USB carefully into his hand. It felt like a massive weight is lifted just then and I actually let out a sigh of relief.

Ned sat there and stared at the thing in his hand. “It’s like the one ring.” He looked up at me with a puzzled expression, and then slowly closed his hand and tucked it into his pants pocket. “I will keep this safe and hidden for you Peter.” His tone was majestically Tolkien.

I gave out a contented sigh again, “Thanks Ned. And…well…if you want to watch it, I understand and it’s okay, really. But I must warn you…it’s pretty bad.”

Ned shook his head as I spoke. “I don’t think I can do that, Peter.” He all but whispered, but then he looked stricken, and his voice was pleading, “Oh…but uh…if you  _need_ me to, I will. I can do it…I swear!” He tries to have a determined look on his face, but I can tell he really didn’t want to.

“Do you…uh…need me to?” he definitely doesn’t sound confident now.

I am so grateful for him to offer, “No, that’s totally cool Ned…your my best friend, so I just wanted to make sure you knew I was okay either way.”

Ned then put a hand on my arm. When I looked at him, he asked, “Do you want to talk about it?  You don’t have to…I mean -  _You’re my best friend and I am okay either way._”

I rubbed my face and I could honestly say that for the moment, I felt well and truly better. “Thanks Ned. Not right now. It’s a little too raw, but eventually, yeah I might.”

Ned nodded that he understood, and we quickly moved on to safer topics - like the new Lego kit that he had ordered.

We made plans to get together to put it together tomorrow night.

The rest of the day went by just fine after that and I began to think the normality of being back in school was just what I needed for my recovery.

Until…

\------------

It was at the end of the day and I was already headed home when I suddenly realized I had forgotten all about the after-school meeting for the decathlon.

As I race back to the school as quickly as I can, my phone went off.  I glance at the name and see it is Ned. Probably calling to tell me that I am late.  I’m a bit embarrassed that I forgot, so I let the call go as I hurry back to the school.

As I am running, it goes off again… I rush even faster now. I don’t want my first day back to be any more awkward because I am late. And just as I reached the door to the gym, my phone rings again.

I click the ignore button, slightly annoyed now as I am thinking,  _Yeah, yeah Ned.  Don’t make a big deal! I am here!_

Trying not to draw attention to myself I quickly slip into the gym.  But with my focus on being quiet, I am well into the gym before my brain registers what I was seeing…and more importantly, what I was hearing.

The smile I had on my face drains away as I clearly hear cries of pain and then…and then…Gargan’s voice rings out:

_“-out who your friends are…find out where you live. And when I do, I am going to make sure everyone you care about suffers…a lot…before I slit their throats. Just like I'm gonna do to you.  You can think about that while you bleed out…”_

In utter shock, I see Flash and MJ gathered around the laptop on the desk.

And I knew instantly what had happened…I should have known. He’d seen us on the field and just had to mess with us. Flash had taken the USB from Ned and thinking it was something embarrassing decided to play it.

_“You're mad at me?  Want to take it out on me?  Fine, I can take it. But innocent people...people I care about?  Sorry Dude, NOT gonna happen!!”_

I am literally frozen in place.  This was absolutely the worst thing that could have possibly happened. Flash knew who I was.  There was _no way_ I was going to be able to keep my identity secret now. It was my worst nightmare - come true. I felt my chest begin to tighten which of course caused the recently healed knife wounds to ache, reminding me of how I got them.

There is a banging sound and then…

_“PETER “_

_“I am sorry Mr. Stark, I tried, but…but…”_

They were so engrossed by what they are seeing on the screen, they didn’t notice me. Each of them seemed trapped, like I was, in the moment.

Flash’s face looked pale and his eyes looked haunted.  There was a loss of innocence in them that surprised me.

But then I looked at MJ…usually unflappable MJ…  She had such a horrified look on her face, I almost couldn’t bear it. Tears were streaming down her face and she had her fist pressed tightly against her lips.

Beyond them I suddenly noticed, Ned.  He was trying not to look at the screen as he is desperately trying to make a phone call. And of course, I now realize why he had repeatedly called me….

…just as my phone went off once more.

The harsh sound causes MJ to look up. Our eyes meet, and it is horrific. I have never felt so stupid and helpless and humiliated in my life.

_“No…no…no! Hey, stay with me kid...Peter…Peter! Shit! Rhodey get your ass in here-”_

Flash now looks so guilty it was almost comical…almost. He frantically jabs at the laptop, stopping the video - like that could do anything to change the situation.

I can only stand there in shock. It is just too much to process.  My head is spinning and I feel like I am being violated all over again.

“Peter…” It is Ned.  He is rushing over to me with a worried look.  I turn to him automatically but then I suddenly I feel trapped. When he places a hand on my arm, suddenly I flinch away from his touch.

Ned tries again, “Pete, are you okay?” I turn to look at MJ and Flash. Seeing their faces all I can do is shake my head as I slowly back away.  They all take a step towards me as I turn and make a mad dash for the door.

“Peter, wait…Peter!“, MJ’s voice tries to follow me but I am already through the door and now I am really moving. I burst out the school doors and then I am running and I don’t know where I am going. As I move further and further away, the tears are stinging my eyes and I feel completely helpless and alone.

They all know.  They saw what happened to me.  Flash saw me crying…begging for my life!  Giving up information about the Avenger’s team that I was supposed to protect! 

And keeping my identity a secret.  Well, there is no hiding from this. My whole life is going to change, and I am not ready for it.  Especially on top of everything else that happened. 

 _God, why was life so unfair!_ My eyes fill with bitter tears again.

I can’t see where I am going so I trip and fall on my face.  I quickly jump up and move away from some kind strangers asking me if I am okay.  I take a breath and it helps me to break out of the fugue state I am in. I quickly take stock of where I am but I don’t recognize anything, so I duck into the first alley I come across where I promptly climb up to the rooftop.  There I take a minute to get my bearings and calm down.

I note that the sun has already started to go down as I try to think of what to do now.

Suddenly my phone is ringing.

Ned’s name appears on the screen.  I want to answer, but I don’t know what to say. It wasn’t his fault and I know he must feel absolutely awful about what happened. But I just can’t talk to anyone yet, so I let it ring until it goes to voicemail. 

My panic is waning now, but despair is settling in as I slide down the wall behind me and I just sit there for a bit, looking at the skyline and trying to clear my mind.  My thoughts are racing, and I can't (or won’t) focus.  Finally, just when my mind is a complete blank, I am startled as my phone starts ringing again.

Looking down I see the name: Mr. Stark.

Oh god! This just keeps getting better and better!  I don’t want to talk to him either, so I also let it go to voicemail.

But almost right after, the phone rings again.  This time it is Aunt May.  I let that one go to voicemail too.

I realize they won't stop trying to find me, talk to me.  I sigh.  Everyone must be worried sick.  I can’t avoid it much longer. I look again at the skyline and I realize I know where I am.

Resigned, I slowly move along the roof tops - back towards home.  As I go, it becomes a steady and conformable rhythm to me which allows me to relax.  I throw myself into my old parkour moves and focus on not falling or being seen.

I will deal with the fall out when I get back home, but for right now…for these last few moments when my old world is still possible, I want to treasure this feeling of freedom.

Treasure my last moments when the world doesn’t know me as Spider-Man…when I can just be me.


	13. What the Hell Just Happened?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another 3rd person chapter...from Peter's friends POV

The door slams behind MJ as she runs after Peter.  Ned turns back to Flash, his face is a mask of fury, “You Asshole!”

He lunges at the other boy and Flash’s face is a range of emotions, mostly shock that Ned…loveable pacifist Ned...looked like he might actually try to kill him!

Flash dodges away while repeating an apology that is as manic as it is sincere. “Ned, I'm sorry!  You have to believe me, I would never…  Ned I am Sorry! I’m SORRY! NED, please!”

By this point, Ned has finally caught up to Flash.  Grabbing him by the jacket and Flash watches in horror as Ned pulls back his arm…

“NED!! STOP!" The force of MJ's command reaches through Ned's rage.

"Ned, We don’t have time for this right now. Peter needs us.” MJ’s last words are like a calming liquid that flows over Ned and instantly all his anger turns to worry. He turns from Flash and runs back to his phone on the table.

“You’re right...your right, MJ! I’ll call Happy. He will know what to do.”

MJ has been moving into the room as Ned spoke, she walks up to Flash and looks him in the eye. “Flash? Flash, look at me.”

Flash’s eyes flicker between the other two his face is almost white as he tries to process what has just happened.

Peter Parker…Penis Parker was Spider-Man! He was Spider-Man this whole time! At first when the video had started, he thought it was some fantasy video that Peter had made pretending to be Spider-Man, he was literally laughing as the man stepped away and he saw Peter sitting in the chair in the Spider-Man costume. A very well-done replica for someone with limited funds as Parker his brain had noted.

But then he saw the knife and the blood, and the sounds Parker was making and then he thought the guy had made a mistake and thought Peter was Spider-Man in error. When the man stuck the knife into Peter’s chest, he almost threw up.

But then when the man threatened Peter’s family…his friends, Flash saw in Peter’s face something changed. And when he flipped up and took out the guy, he knew the truth. Iron Man blasting into the room and freaking out over Peter's condition was the final nail.

And then when he turned and saw Peter standing in the Gym, he felt almost overwhelming guilt and shame for everything he had ever done to the other boy. Peter could have laid him out any time he wanted this year, but he didn’t. He let Flash continue to insult him and push him around. He didn’t once defend himself and by rights he should have done so anytime he wanted. He could have used Spider-Man to show up Flash, he could have messed with him as Spider-Man, but he never did. Everything he thought he knew about Peter was wrong.

If he was honest with himself, he bullied Peter because deep down in his heart, he knew that Peter Parker was the better person and he was jealous. He had all the money, the advantages, the friends and still Peter seemed to effortlessly be better. He was smarter than Flash, he could admit it now. And did better in school even though Peter was out there night after night, risking his life to make the city a better place.

As the smile on Peter’s face had fallen...as he turned and ran, the only thing Flash could think was, “What have I done?”

Flash focuses on MJ now and he bursts into tears, “Oh my god…what did I do? I am so sorry MJ! I didn’t-“

MJ nods at him and puts a comforting hand on his shoulder. She is the beacon of calm in this moment. “Flash, I know…it’s okay. But right now, Peter is probably in crisis mode and he needs help. I need to know you can keep it together. Let’s focus on Peter for right now. We can work out the rest later, okay? First thing…we need to try and contain this. Peter’s need to keep this secret was really important to him.”

Flash nods, “Did you…did you know? Did he tell you?”

MJ sighs, “Yeah, I knew...well...I suspected.  I mean, those two are as subtle as elephants in a glass elevator. But I also knew that Peter wanted to keep it a secret, so I kept my mouth shut.”

MJ quickly glanced at the gym door and then suddenly looked hard at Flash, “And right now, I need you to do the same!”

As she spoke, the doors behind her opened and the rest of the debate team filed into the room. Mr. Harrington is speaking to several of the students, so no one is really paying attention to the people already in the gym.

MJ is staring at Flash and he suddenly understand what she is asking. He nods, and she lets out a sigh of relief.  She also manages a relieved smile and nods back.

Grabbing him by the arm, MJ drags him over to Ned and taps him on the shoulder.

Ned turns while still talking, “-call Mr. Stark, that would be great.  Uh…”

MJ holds out her hand for the phone, so Ned says, "Mr. Happy sir. Uh…here's..."  He doesn't finish and quickly surrenders it under her intense gaze. 

MJ wastes no time as she speaks into the phone. “Mr. Happy? This is MJ - a friend of Peter’s. I know all about you - know - what. We need to talk to Mr. Stark and Aunt May right away.  Can you send a car to the school to get us or should we meet at Aunt May’s or…?”

To his credit, Happy quickly adjusts to the situation and tells MJ to wait outside the school and he is sending a car. “Be outside in 10 minutes…”

“Thank you, we will see you then.” Happy grunts and cuts the line abruptly. MJ tosses the phone back to Ned who juggles it a bit before getting control of it.

“Okay guys, we need to go. I assume it will be okay if we go to Peter’s house to…study?” She looks pointedly at the other boys and they both nod. “Good, make whatever calls you need for that and I will take care of Mr. Harrington. We need to be outside in 10.”

She leaves them to their assignments and stalks over towards the rest of the team.

Ned watches her in awe…and mutters, “Man…she would make a better ‘Guy in the Chair’…or rather, Girl.” He quickly calls his mom and can hear Flash talking to his dad.

\----------

Ten minutes later they are all piling into the car and zooming out into the night. 

Ned hopes they can do something to help his friend.

Feeling helpless, he is quiet in the car...well they all are.  Probably still trying to process what they just saw.  He sits there looking at the USB in his hand.  It was just a small bit of plastic to have caused so much harm.

Ned cannot get the image of Peter being stabbed by that crazy man out of his head.  He feels like an idiot for talking about how epic the battle must have been. Peter almost died. 

He thinks back to when Peter talked about when those guys that came to the school had tried to kill him...or when the guy dropped him in the lake.

Those were just words then, but now...now, the danger Peter faced was real for Ned...for all of them.  How he could go out night after night when this kind of stuff was happening to him all the time just blew Ned's mind.

He glanced over at Flash.  Man, he wants to punch the guy in the face.  But Flash's face shows that he finally understands, and the guilt is plain on the guy's face.

_But still.... why did he have to be such an asshole?_

Earlier...

Ned had been sitting on the stage waiting for the meeting to start.  Nervously he had pulled the USB out of his pocket and held it reverently as he thought about where he would put it when he got home when he realized that Peter hadn't come in yet.

He turned to look at the clock and that was when Flash come up behind him and snatched it from his fingers.  Laughing he had jumped off the stage and made a beeline to his laptop, "Let's see what Penis Parker and his girlfriend Ned are trying to hide!"

MJ had been reading a book up on the stage and looked up as Ned went completely ballistic.  Both had rushed off the stage to stop Flash, but it was too late.  Flash had plugged in the USB and opened the file.  The video on it played and all of them were suddenly all trapped seeing what was on it.

At first Flash is laughing and making comments about how bad the acting is, but slowly they realize what they are watching is real.  Ned is fighting back tears and then he fumbles to find his phone.  He needs to get a hold of Peter...needs to warn him...

As the screaming on the video starts, both Flash and MJ flinched.  Ned desperately tries not to look, but he sees...he can't help but see.

In the car, Ned shakes his head to get the memories of the screaming out of his head.

He takes out his phone and tries to call Peter, but he doesn't pick up.  He just prays he gets the chance to tell his friend how sorry he is.

As he is sitting there thinking about what to do now, the phone rings in his hand.  When he answers, the voice of Mr. Stark is there and making Ned nervous all over again.

"Mr. Leeds..." His voice is deadly but then it is interrupted, and Ned can hear in the background Pepper Potts yelling at Mr. Stark, "Tony, Be NICE! He is just a kid"

Mr. Stark clears his throat, tries again in a noticeably nicer voice, "Ned...can you tell me what happened?"

Ned tells him everything he knows.


	14. Emotional Roller Coaster

When I finally get home, I slowly climb the multiple flights to our floor…my handy Spidey sense tells me there are a few people in the apartment as I approach the door.

But before I have time to think, the door flies open and I am body slammed by Aunt May who is crying and hugging me as she drags me back into the apartment. I am in so much shock that I don’t register who else is there as voices are telling her to calm down and give me some air.

Aunt May moves back and then asks if I am okay and I numbly nod my head. My heart is slamming so loud in my chest. All I can think about is how disappointed she must be.

“I guess you heard what happened.” I look at her face for any trace of anger and find none. But it doesn’t make me feel any better and I suddenly break down. “May, I'm so sorry. I-I didn’t mean for this to happen. I was stupid and didn't think and-”

A voice clears behind me and I turn to Mr. Stark and my face burns red, “Mr. Stark!" Now I know it's bad. "I know this is all my fault. I shouldn't have copied the video. It's just...well I don’t know why I did it- “

“It’s okay kid...” he interrupts me.

“Okay? You’re kidding right? How can you say that? Flash and MJ know who I really am. And Flash hates me, I mean he REALLY hates me! So I'm sure he has told everyone that I am Spider-Man by now. And once this gets out…every criminal that I got arrested will know. Which means my Aunt May isn’t safe anymore! And Ned…oh god, Ned...I won’t be able to go to school anymore, will I? Plus, if I want to continue to be Spider-Man, I guess I have to sign the Sokovia Accords now. I am going to have to sign them, won’t I? Jesus, how could I have been so-“

Aunt May came up and gently touched my shoulder to slow my panicked rant. “Peter. Breathe, just breathe. It's okay. It really is okay Pete, look.” As she is trying to calm me down, she has moved to point into the living room and who should be standing there but Flash and MJ.

Flash has a strange expression on his face and MJ looks like she wants to hug and hit me all at once. They both have their mouth open listening to me panic...perfect.

Ned comes up to my side. “Peter...I am really…really sorry…I let you down and-”

Flash suddenly moved forward and interrupted, “No Ned, this wasn’t your fault. It was mine. If I hadn’t been such an Ass, none of this would have happened." He turned to look at me, as if really seeing me for the first time. Then he sighed looking so broken that I honestly felt a bit bad for him. But he shook himself, squared his shoulders and looked me directly in the eye. "Parker. I'm really sorry...for...for everything.”

You could have knocked me over with a feather right then.

“Who are you and what have you done with Flash?” It just popped out of my mouth…I quickly brought my hand up to cover it, “Oh, wow. Sorry, that was...I am…sorry!”

“Okay, way too many apologies are flying around here right now.” Mr. Stark interrupted. “Time is money for me people, so let’s cut to the chase...shall we? I'd really like to get out of here before I retire, so...”

He spins around to face Ned, MJ and Flash, “Hold up your right hand." In a daze they all did as he commanded. "Do you solemnly swear to keep the secret identity of Spider-Man so long as you all live? And will you help him survive High School, so he can continue to do the good work he does?”

A chorus of “We Do’s” rang out followed by a loud clap by Mr. Stark, “Great, you are all officially junior Avengers Club Members… or...something. Damn it, you guys can make up a club name...later. “

He sobers up for a moment. He nods to each of them and stares them in the eye for a moment. “Seriously, you understand that you have been entrusted with the most super awesome secret in NYC.   And... you have all promised to keep it. But, this is a very important promise. Lives are at stake here. If you don’t think you can do it, no problem. I have a device that can wipe your memory.”

All three nodded vigorously and promised repeatedly that they would keep the secret.

Tony stared them down a bit more and they joked, “Good, good because it was only a matter of time before this one would have cracked with no one else to talk to about this.” He blatantly points to Ned.

“Hey!” Ned called out.

“Oh, come on…you know it’s true!” Mr. Stark looked over at the boy until finally Ned finally drops his head and nods. “So…good. That takes care of a number of issues that was making High School a landmine for you Peter, I say, WELL DONE everyone and... You’re Welcome!”

Mr. Stark comes over and clapped me on the back as he maneuvered out of the living room and over to the door. Happy who was standing quietly behind him, follows. Mr. Stark reached out and shook May’s hand and gave it a shake.

He leans over to her and whispers in her ear, but of course I can hear him, “He needs some time to process all this. Let him and his friends talk...spend some time together. If you need anything, you have my number. Okay?”

May smiles and mouths the words, “Thank you.”

Tony nods and then straightens up. His mantel of cocky billionaire playboy firmly back in place, “And now we should go…I am super late for a charity event and Pepper will never forgive me if I miss it. But call me if there are any other developments. Oh, and Peter, FYI...I had stopped by to drop off an upgraded suit for you. Before all of this…whatever this is really…it's in your room, so let me know if you like it.  Okay…Have fun!” He opened the door and then turned towards me and tipped his sunglasses down as he looked me right in the eye, “Be…safe out there.”

Once the door shut, there was a silence that fell over the room.

I didn’t know what to do or what to say. It’s like a hurricane just blew through the room and my head is trying to think really.

I turn back to see MJ, Ned and Flash looking back at me with the same shell-shocked expressions.

May takes in the state of us all and comes to the rescue, “So how about I go get a pizza? You guys can talk and when I get back, we can eat.”

I turn to her and she looks at me directly as if to ask if this is okay. I nod and glance back at the others who are still standing like statues.

“Yeah, that would be perfect.”

As the door closes on May, I slowly go into the living room and try to figure out what will happen now.

MJ is the first to come out of the spell and she storms over to me and punches me in my arm. “Owww! What was that for?”

Instantly her expression turns to horror as she realizes she can hurt me. “Oh, my god…Peter, I am so sorry. I forgot!”

I rub my arm as I nod and move away from her. I look at her like she has grown three heads, “Okay…I’m okay, but - my question stands!”

When she realizes that I am not going to collapse, she turns hard again. “That was for not telling me sooner. I could have helped you!”

My eyes narrow, “MJ, I was trying to protect the people I care about, not put them at risk! I-”

“You told NED!” She said that like it explained everything.

Ned had the grace to speak up then, “Well, actually I found out by accident.”

Flash finally speaks up, “I'm confused, MJ. You said you already knew.” There is silence and all our eyes turn to Flash, who is now looking very uncomfortable. “Uh…forget I said anything!”

Everything is suddenly very surreal. I have Flash sitting in my living room. Flash knows I am Spider-Man. Flash just took Mr. Stark’s “Oath” with no hesitation. And Flash was being nice to me…

Ned and MJ start talking at once and Flash looks like he is trying to merge with the sofa.

I hold up a hand, I am getting overwhelmed and I need to process.

Flash takes the moment to again apologize for not only what happened but for…well everything.

“Peter. I want to apologize again for being such an ass all these years. I know I have not been nice to you and well, if I am going to be honest, it was because I was jealous. You were a better student…even without Mommy and Daddy’s money to help you out. I promise I will keep your secret and I will do everything I can to make it up to you.”

As he speaks, my mouth is hanging open. If you had told me a week ago that I would be having this conversation, I would have not believed you. But here we were. If there was one good thing to come out of all this, having Flash for an ally would indeed make the stress of keeping my secret in school MUCH easier.

Flash continues, “And my change in heart is not because you're Spider-Man, but because you were a good person even when I was being horrible to you. You could have laid me out anytime you wanted, but you didn't. You never used Spider-Man to get back- Hang on! You stole my car! That was you!!!” The expression on Flash’s face was priceless.

Suddenly all of us are laughing so hard and we can’t stop. Tears are streaming down our faces. Flash is rolling around the sofa and Ned is bent over holding his stomach. MJ looks over at me and I see that she understands and forgives me for not telling her myself. My heart does a little flip, glad she isn’t mad at me.

And just like that, we are all good with each other like we had been friends our while lives. MJ recovers first, and she just watches us being silly and shakes her head. “Boys!” She heads to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

When she gets back, we have all calmed down.  I look over at Flash, "Hey, Flash.  I accept your apology. And I really am sorry about your car.  It was an emergency and you’re the only person I knew with a car. Still it was a pretty shitty thing to do.  What happened with that by the way? The car was totaled that night."

Flash waved off my concern.  "Don't worry about it, really.  Dad reported it stolen and we had a new one in a week.  And you can be sure I won't say anything about you being Spider-Man now because if my dad ever finds out I knew who stole the car...he'd ground me for life."  Flash gave a cocky grin, "So weird we are here talking about all this!  So how did you become Spider-Man?"  

And with that, I can tell that it is question time. I sigh and settle in, telling them about how it all started.

May returns with the pizza as the guys are all asking…or more like grilling me about my powers.  It's not unlike when Ned had been hounding me at school.

This time however, I am able to answer all their questions freely.

May stood in the doorway listening in, but not interfering. I could see some questions and answers were a surprise to her. But if I didn’t have to do this again, one on one with her, that was fine with me!

By the end of the night, I had bonded strongly with all of them. Ned headed out with a renewed promise to come over tomorrow for Legos. Flash actually shook my hand and thanked me for letting him be part of this.

MJ…she was harder to read. I think she was happy to be a part of the secret, but I think she was also a bit sad. I wasn’t sure why exactly, but I gave her a quick hug to let her know she was just as important as the boys in this club and I think that made her a bit happier.

_Well it definitely made me happier!_

The thought flashed through my brain and it made me blush and stutter as we all moved towards the door. May gave me a knowing look and I just prayed she would keep her mouth shut until we were alone.

May went over to each of them and shook their hand. “I cannot thank each of you enough for helping Peter with this whole Spider-Man secret. It means a lot to me that you are willing to do this for him…for us. “

They all get a little shy from the honest emotion in her voice, but they all nod and accept her hug.

Finally, all the goodbyes and hugs are finished, and the door is closing. Now it was just May and me.

“Wow…talk about an emotional rollercoaster!” Her dry voice full of sarcasm made me want to laugh and cringe at the same time. I settled for rolling my eyes.

But I knew we would have to talk so I decided to go first. “May. I am really sorry I made you worry. It was well, I found the video on the suit and I didn’t want to see it, but I couldn’t delete it. When I gave it to Ned to hold, my intention was for him to keep it and then destroy if for me…when I was ready. I never intended for those guys to see it. But it is really strange how this worked out. By them seeing it, it has helped me get over the fear of the video…I feel better! Is that weird?”

She is looking at me with a warm smile. “No, not at all. And I agree, it is weird how this all worked out. I am really glad that Flash was able to admit he was wrong and to become your supporter…that is still blowing my mind!”

"I know, right!", suddenly I remember, “Hey…where is the video file?”

May looks confused for a second. “The USB? Oh, I gave it to Tony. He said he would hold it for you and make SURE that no one else saw it. Whatever you want to do with it, it’s up to you. He said you guys could talk about it when you came to visit him this weekend.” She paused and looked over at me, “Do you want to go talk to him this weekend?”

And I realized that yes…yes, I did. I told her as much and the rest of the night is much more relaxed.

The feeling that tomorrow at school might be actually be good made me feel like a winner for once. Plus, with three people looking out for me at school and that damn video taken care of, I could really start to focus on getting my life back to normal.

The last 24 hours were definitely that – an emotional roller-coaster from hell! But though I would never want to ride again, I am glad I did if this is how it ends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I could end it here...but I have an idea to continue...which do you prefer?


	15. The New Club's first meeting...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short scene from the night before...

The next morning and I couldn’t help but be energized after last night.

The meeting with my friends Ned and MJ….and now Flash (who knew!) went very well. We discussed quite a bit about being Spider-Man.

May listened to us for a bit and then reminded me that Mr. Stark had dropped off the new suit. When we heard that, we all rushed into my room to see it.

Visually, it looked no different from the old one, but when Flash and MJ – and of course Ned – got to see the case open and the suit pop out like it did when I was in Germany…well, seeing on their faces...that  _must_ have been the look on mine that day...was priceless.

Even May took a moment to join us and check it out. “Tony told me that this one has been upgraded to protect you from energy blasts and the A.I. won’t short out like last time. I  _hate_  to admit it, but...he did a good job!” She sounded properly impressed,

I grinned at her and then turned as Flash was asking, off Ned’s urging, to try on the Mask. That was May’s cue to leave and she did with a chuckle at all the geekiness in the room.

“Guys, let Peter try on the mask first…it is his suit!”   MJ was leaning against the wall watching and I was immediately grateful that she seemed to know that I indeed wanted to try it on first. I looked over at her with a grateful look and she just shrugged her shoulders.

“Actually guys, I will need to try it on and make sure everything is set…so if you don’t mind…” Quickly the room cleared, and I jumped into the suit as fast as I could. Once it was on and activated, I asked Karen for an update.

“Good Evening Peter. The new suit has been upgraded to be resistant to energy blasts, and the fabric has been upgraded to a weave that now contains Vibranium. This will allow you to avoid damage from any...uh...sharp objects.” Karen actually sounded uncomfortable, and it made me realize that Karen had been there when…it had happened.

I sat down on the bottom bunk as I processed that fact. “Uh…Karen, do you remember...that night?”

Her voice was suddenly soft, “Yes Peter. I remember everything.”

I could hear a note that sounded almost like regret or sadness. “I’m sorry Karen.”

“Don’t be. I am glad that you are okay. And I am glad that your friends and Aunt May know about Spider-Man. You need people around you to be able to help you...especially when I cannot.”

I don’t know why, but this makes me both sad and happy…an A.I. is concerned about my well-being.  Mr. Stark is a genius and has provided me with a very powerful allay when I am out there doing what I do. I suddenly am extremely grateful to have Karen.

I clear my throat, “Thanks Karen. That means a lot.”

“You are welcome Peter. And Peter, my system has been upgraded to prevent a shut down. I am confident that we will not have another situation like...before.”

I nod my head, “Cool…Cool...cool...”

“Peter? I am sorry that I was not able to help you avoid-“

“Karen…  Please don’t apologize. It’s okay and I am okay, okay?  Let’s just leave all that in the past.”

“If you wish, Peter. You are the boss!”

That makes me laugh and breaks the tension that was building in me. “Okay! Do you mind if I let the others wear the mask for a bit?”

So, for the next half hour Flash and MJ– and of course Ned – each tried on the mask and were introduced to Karen. I showed off some of my skills, like climbing walls, hanging from the ceiling, feats of strength and of course the web shooters.

But then May put a kibosh on too much of that when she heard the lamp break. I didn’t argue because I can only control them so much inside…they are more meant to be used outdoors anyways.

Then we talked about how we were going to maintain our secret. Flash was the first to point out how weird it would be for him to suddenly be my best friend at school…it would be suspicious for sure.

So, it was decided that he would continue to tease me (just not as meanly) and we would find a way to show us gradually become friends so the change in Flash's attitude wasn’t as noticeable.

Ned outlined this elaborate plan which included a last minute save by myself when Flash was choking and as a result, Flash was so grateful that he decided to stop being a bully.

MJ let him go on for a bit, but when he started outlining dialogue on Flash’s gratitude, she just burst out laughing. “You have  _got_  to be kidding!”

Ned’s face turned red, “It could work!”

“It might have Ned and thank you for trying. But I find that often the simplest solution is the best. Something close to the truth also helps to prevent slipups.” May interjected with the more adult view point.

That’s when I got a crazy idea. “How about I recommend you for the Stark Internship?”

Off the puzzled faces, Ned even said, “But there isn’t a Stark Internship…”

“But I think there should be. Even without all this, I think Mr. Stark is letting a gold mine of opportunity slip through his fingers. Our school has some of the brightest minds in the country, he should be tapping into it. And Flash, you are one of the top people at the school. I think Mr. Stark  _should_  bring you onboard.”

Flash’s face was a picture of awe, “A…an internship with Mr. Stark? With Mr. Tony Stark? Wow, Peter, that would be awesome!”

Glad to see he would want it, I continued, “And that would also give you your excuse. If I recommend you even with you picking on me, well you would have an excuse to cut me some slack. And then our time at interns would allow us to get closer as time when on…and no one would suspect a thing!”

Ned jumped up, “Brilliant!” He blinked, ”Uh, but what about us?” He pointed at himself and MJ. “Can we get internships too?”

“Well Ned, I think both of you have open invitations to visit as my friends, so you can always join us. But for right now, I think it is important to establish to the school that Flash has an in with Mr. Stark.”

Flash sat there blinking, “God Damn it, Parker! Why do you have to be so…so…damn nice! And why was I being so stupid.  Again, I am so sorry for being such an Ass!” He shakes his head as he leans forward towards me. “But do you think Mr. Stark would agree? Especially since everything that...happened?”

I wave off his concerns. “Flash, you are a brilliant student and if I ask him to do this,  _especially after everything that happened_ , he will find a way to make it work. I’ll talk to him this weekend, okay?”

By the time everyone was leaving, we were all actually eager for tomorrow to come. It was a first for most of us!

Once they were gone, I had asked Aunt May if I could try out the suit. I convinced her that I should give it a dry run to make sure everything worked, and she let me head out for an hour.

It was enough time for me to stop a carjacking and get a too drunk man into a cab and safely on his way home. The new suit worked just as well as the last and Karen seemed as good as ever.

I got home with minutes to spare and I quickly said good night to May and then crashed for the night. In some ways, everything seemed back to normal and in others…I was still trying to wrap my head around the changes.

I looked forward to seeing how tomorrow went, hopefully it was  _much_  better than Monday!


	16. Happyness is...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy likes me...he really likes me!

As I get out of the car I can’t decide if I want to do this or not. I mean, I do…but then…I…don’t?

Mr. Stark had told me to visit the compound this weekend and I had almost forgotten. But of course, bright and early Saturday morning, Aunt May had knocked on my door to let me know that there was a car on its way to pick me up and that it would be here in 10 minutes.

Happy had made it clear that he did not want to wait, so I immediately sprang out of bed. I never want to make Happy upset, it’s hard enough for me to not constantly be embarrassing myself around the guy. So many things annoyed him. And when it came to me, he found pretty much everything about me annoying.

With these thoughts running in my head, I had no time to think, as I rushed to get ready in time.

Because I was rushing around, I totally forgot about my plans for the day. So, it was only once I was settled in the car that I remembered my plans to meet the guys for lunch today. Damn! Feeling awful for having to cancel I quickly called Ned to let him know that I wasn’t going to make our lunch date. I asked if he could let MJ and Flash know for me and to tell them I was sorry.

“Wait…you’re going to see the Avengers…today? Oh man! So, jealous Peter!”

I snorted, “Ned, I am going up for a therapy session with Mr. Stark…talk about my feelings. You do NOT want to be in my shoes right now.”

Ned fumbled his words, “Oh…yeah…I take it back! I…uh, will let the guys know…that you can’t make it. Just be prepared for MJ to give you a good punch in the arm when you get back!”

I smile at that…MJ does seem to take any opportunity for violence if she doesn’t get her way. My sudden change in plans would not go over well.

_Classic MJ!_

“Yeah…why do you think I called you? Thanks for covering for me, Ned! I’ll give you a call when I am headed back, okay?”

After I end the call, it was just me and Happy in the car. However, he had rolled up the window between us when I started my call to Ned…so when I ended the call, it was just me and my thoughts.

I know that Mr. Stark told me to come up for a visit, but I was hoping he might forget about it. I silently cursed the fact that Mr. Stark rarely forgot anything, especially promises from a certain Spider-Man that was dealing with a spot of PTSD after a night of torture…no big.

I tried to find ways to occupy myself, so I didn’t think about it too much. When I checked my phone, I saw that I had already gotten a scathing text from MJ.

Luckily, I didn’t have to deal with that right now as we made good time and the next thing I know, the car is pulling up to the front door. So, I was able to avoid thinking about having to talk to Mr. Stark about…my feelings!

But of course, now I have this on my mind as I walk towards the Avenger’s new complex and see the steps leading up to the front door look steep. I don’t remember so many steps last time I was here.

And  _just like that_  I am thrust back to that night. I struggle to focus as I remember my pathetic attempts to give Gargan what he wanted. And I remember how desperate I had been to answer the questions put to me at one point. My cheeks flush with shame as the memory rises up to taunt me.

 

_“I didn’t really see anything!  I was in the back of a car and I wasn’t paying attention.  But I saw a couple of gates to go through and some guards. Then I was in a garage, and elevator an office and back to the garage.  They didn’t give me any grand tour and I was only there for like 20 minutes to meet Mr. Stark and then I left.  I swear to you I don’t know anything else."_

 

I shudder as the feeling of helplessness washes over me. I know I tried so hard not to give any information away, but when I did, it feels like such a failure…such a betrayal. My throat constricts as I try to gain control of myself.

Suddenly there is a hand on my arm, “Hey Kid? You okay?” Startled, I turn to see Happy is staring at me. “You having a flash back or something? Hey…it’s okay. Just sit down for a minute.” He puts down my bag and then guides me to the step and sits next to me.

I am beyond humiliated, but I can’t do anything but listen to his direction.   I sit there breathing a bit heavy as I rub the spot on my chest where the knife had gone into my chest. Super healing or not, the spot suddenly aches as my chest continues to tighten.

My eyes dart around the parking lot to see if anyone else sees me and then I glance over at Happy. His face is showing open concern and that is almost more stressful to me than what I am going through. Happy usually never shows any emotion other than distain and perhaps mild boredom. For him to be worried…

“Hey, now. You don’t worry about anything else right now. Just take your time…breath. We can sit here as long as you need, Capiche?” He pats my shoulder and then just sits there looking at his shoes.

And we sit like that for a bit and slowly I get my breathing under control. When I am able to take a deep breath and move my legs, Happy slaps his knees and stands up, “Ready to go inside then?”

I nod…not trusting my voice.

“Good, good.” He grunted as he leaned over to pick up my case. And then turned expectantly waiting for me to catch up.

Not sure what else to do, I slowly started moving up the steps.

Happy waited until I joined him and then he gave me a smile. When he nudged me as we continued up the stairs, I was ready to freak out. “Uh…Happy?” I look at him sideways, “What’s going on?”

“Well, you were having a panic attack. It’s not that big a deal…we just needed to give you some time to calm down. You did real good there kid. Once we get inside, I suggest you eat something…take the edge off.”

“No…I mean, yeah, I know that. I’m talking about you. Your…your being…well…nice to me…” I look at him puzzled.

He huffs as he continues moving up the steps, “Hey Kid, I know I it may not look it, but I do care about you. I’m just not that good at showing it.” He looks over at me, “Sorry…do you want me to go back to being annoyed by you?”

I chuckle, “No…no, that’s cool, it just threw me for a bit, that’s all.” We continue in a more companionship mood after that. “So, does this mean you will reply to my calls?”

“No.” His sigh was so loud, it was almost epic.

“How about my texts? Will you answer those?” I grin at him as he pauses at the door to open it for me.

As I go past, he grimaces at me. “Never Parker. I will never answer your annoying texts! God, I think I liked you better when you were having the panic attack.”

I smiled as I walked away from him into the building.  Onward and Upward...

It was good to see the Happy I knew and loved, was back!


	17. Stark Therapy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry...this is kind of fluff and on the fly, but wanted to hit some plot points...

Walking through the compound with Happy, I was again reminded of my previous visit. This time I focused on that amazing feeling as I saw how fantastic the place was. This time was not really any different and my eyes were flicking everywhere, trying to take it all in.

My attention was pulled in the direction of one office when I heard raised voices. Looking in, it seemed like Mr. Stark was having an argument with the other people in the room. Something looked off to me, until I realized that they were not actually in the room, but rather were holograms. I was so fascinated by the technology that I paused to observe the room.

It was then that one of the figures sitting and watching the argument, turned and looked directly at me. It was unsettling because I just assumed that they couldn’t see us outside the room. We made eye contact and I had a sudden chill run down my spine. The man raised his hand to Mr. Stark and said something to him. He never took his eyes off me.

Mr. Stark, stopped what he was saying and quickly turned around to see me. His face hardened, and he made a sweeping gesture with his arm and the clear glass of the room suddenly went opaque and I was suddenly looking at a grey wall.

Realizing I shouldn't just be standing there, I quickly rushed to catch up with Happy. Hopefully, no one would ream me out for interrupting what looked like an important meeting.

As I caught up to Happy, he gave me a sideways look and made a huffing noise, “Please try and keep up Parker, I don’t have all day you know. I mean, I do have other things to do today, so let's not waste my time, hmmm?”

I ducked my head, “Sorry Happy!”

We continued walking and I couldn't help but ask, “Hey, Happy? Uh, do you know who Mr. Stark was having - “

"No."

He didn’t even let me finish. “...And even if I did, it's none of your business, understood?” He turned to me and stared hard at me. I got the message loud and clear.

“Y-y-yes! Sorry Happy!”

His face and tone softened, “It’s okay Parker. I know you have that...what do they call it... youth’s curiosity. But some things...you should just steer clear. Not everything here in the compound is safe, okay?  Even for an enhanced individual like yourself.”

With that he turned and moved through an archway to his left.

My jaw dropped as we entered the large space. It was very comfortably furnished, and the décor was immediately welcoming.  Happy went over to the conference table by the window and put my bag down. Then he went over to the kitchen area and called back to me as I slowly walked into the area.

“I said you should eat something before. So…what would you like?” He was standing by the large fridge looking in at the variety of food options, “And don’t tell me nothing.”

I knew better than to argue the point, so I asked for a sandwich, his choice.

After I finished checking out the space, I went over to the counter and asked if I could help. Happy told me to get something to drink out of the fridge while he finished making the food. “Can you get me a coke while you're in there?”

Always glad to do anything for Happy, I went back to the counter with 2 cokes as he turned and put down a plate filled with several sandwiches. There were a few different kinds and I looked over the plate and picked the roast beef. Happy grabbed a ham sandwich and we both settled down to eat.

I felt a bit weird because I didn’t know what to talk about. Plus, that incident on the steps outside had left me feeling a bit unsure of myself. So, I munched on my sandwich and just swung my legs on the stool. I looked all around the room, even though I had just finished checking it out, not sure where to look really.

Happy cleared his voice, “So…how’s the sandwich?”

Quickly I turned to him and assured him it was excellent. And then we were back to awkward silence again.

Happy tried again, “Parker? Uh…Peter…I just wanted to say…I’m uh…glad you are okay.”

I looked over at him with a mouth full of sandwich, not sure how to respond.

He looked me in the eye and I could see the feelings he tried hard to hide. I made me struggle to swallow the food around the sudden lump in my throat. But luckily, I was saved from having to say anything as he continued.

“I uh was joking before. If you need…anything…you call or text me. I’ll pick up, I promise.” He looked at his sandwich as she spoke. “And you let Mr. Stark help you too. He's gone through something like you did, and he knows what it feels like. So, don’t hold back or insist you don’t need help. I mean, you’re a good kid and it isn't fair, but that's life.  But we are here to help you...so let us, okay?”

It was the most he had ever said to me. I humbly nodded my head. “Okay. Thanks, Happy.” He gave a sharp nod and that seemed to be the end of it.  He stood up and quickly cleared the counter while I finish eating. Once I did, I go to put my plate in the sink, he turned and gave me a pat on the shoulder.

“Okay kid, I have to get back to work. Can I trust you to leave you here until Tony’s finished with his other meeting?”

“Yeah, I mean, yes!  I have homework to do, so I can work on that until Mr. Stark comes.'  I remember my call to Ned, "Uh Happy?  Do you know when I am going back home? I wanted to let Ned and the guys know if we can meet up later today.”

Happy shrugged his shoulders, “That really depends on you.” And with that cryptic comment, he headed out of the room.

Once I was by myself I went back around the room and my eye was caught by the lab next door. Since the wall and door were glass, it was easy to see the board in there.  On it was a load of calculations and what caught my eye was one that looked quite difficult.

Instantly curious, I went back to my bag and pulled out my notebook. Going back towards the lab, I found a chair that faced the room where I sat down and quickly jotted the equation down.  Working against what was already on the board, I quickly became engrossed in the math.

So that was why I didn’t notice when Mr. Stark had entered the room until he said something and nearly made me jump out of my skin, “Mr. Parker! What are you doing here?”

Quickly I fumbled to keep from dropping my book and then stood as I stammered.  "Uh, Happy told me to wait for you.  You...you asked me to come up to talk?"

In a droll voice, Mr. Stark interrupted, "Yes, yes Parker...mental health day at the compound.  But that wasn't what I was talking about.  I am curious about what you were doing here by my lab...writing furiously in a book..."

Mr. Stark held out his hand and with no other option, I turned over the book looking guilty as sin. He looked over my work and then tilted his head to look at me over the edge. I smiled a watery smile waiting for what he would say.

He did a little shrug, “So…looks like you were holding out on me, huh?” I wasn’t sure what he meant, my expression was puzzled. He turned the book and pointed at my solution. “I have been working on this for 2 weeks and you just solved it in what…“, he looked down at his watch, “15 minutes?”

Suddenly feeling very self-conscious I ducked my head as I blushed deeply. “Mr. Stark…”

“Kid, I need more people that can help me with my work. And here you are…being a genius in secret! Not cool…not cool, Parker.” He heads towards the lab and motions for me to follow, which I quickly do. Once in the room, he shows me another equation and I quickly start working on it. The math is easy to me, but when I give him the paper with my answer on it, he looks at me with a renewed gleam in his eye. “Oh, kid, we are going to definitely make sure we have you up here more often. You are part of an internship are you not!” He sounds practically gleeful as he says this.

I nod my head, because I know that this might be my in regarding Flash. “Uhmm…Mr. Stark, err, Tony…about that. Can I…I ask a favor?”

In a rush, I outlined the idea the group had come up with and he listened to it all without interrupting, “Kid, if this helps get him off your back in school, sure…no problem. Plus, if this Flash is half as smart as you…bonus!”

Since I was sure he wouldn’t accept so quickly, I was forced to change my continued begging full of: “but, you don’t understand” and “please, give him a chance!” to “Wow, really? Thanks so much…Tony, that will be a big help… “

Tony wasn’t listening to closely, he was looking again at my work. “Sure, sure kid.  Mind if we delay the mental health stuff for a bit?  I'd like to have a little fun first.  Now, about this last problem, can you talk me through your reasoning for why you decided to use this formula...there?” For the next half hour, we talked shop and I forgot all about why I was really here until we were working on a problem which we couldn’t figure out the right method to use and Mr. Stark got frustrated and said, “Man I wish I could show Banner this! If he could take a stab at this, he would- “

I sat straight up at that and the look on my face made Mr. Stark stop talking.   Realizing what he had said, he gave a shake and put down his pad. “Ah, Peter…damn, I am sorry. Poor choice of words.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Though, perhaps I was subconsciously trying to remind myself of the real reason you are here?”

He got up, went to the kitchen and started making a cup of coffee. As I slowly followed him in, he started talking but not looking at me.

“After I got back from Afghanistan, I had a lot of work to do, getting my company out of the arms dealing business and reclaiming my father’s vision for Stark Industries. I took all my energy and pored it into the business and making these suits. I became obsessed. And for a while that worked, but then we had Loki and the Alien invasion and after that battle, where I again almost died, I didn’t cope so well. Pepper, Happy and Rhodes all tried to help, but I refused help.  And, in the end, I almost lost everything. It was only after I decided to deal with what happened…to talk about it, that things started to really get back to normal.”

He turned to me then, “Peter, I am telling you this because I have been where you are. I know what it feels like to have this thing inside of you that isn’t how you see yourself and then to have it bleed out and make you feel out of control. You want it to just go away. You don’t want to tell anyone about it because you worry that it will make you seem weak. And in the end, it always seems to be there waiting for you to not be holding it in control so that it can break free and create havoc.  Please, do stop me if I am on the wrong path here…”

I consider what he said and cannot say anything other than, “No, you have it all right. I have nightmares and I sometimes freeze when I go out at night.   I know it’s only been a little over a week since…but every time it happens I worry if I will ever be able to fully be Spider-Man again. Heck, I had a panic attack on the steps into the building…” I catch the can of coke that he had tossed at me.

“Yeah, Happy told me. But he also said you handled it well. When I had my first attack, mind you, I almost killed Pepper.” At my expression of disbelief, he nodded his head as he took a sip of his coffee, “Yup…it was bad. Happy has already teased me about how you are already doing much better than me…so thanks for that!  But enough chit chat…let’s get to it, shall we?”

He motioned me over to the couches and once he settled in, he asked me, “So tell me what happened that night. Tell me as much as you can, and we can talk about that okay?”

I nodded and gulped. Clutching the soda can in my hands, I sat forward and rested my arms on my knees. It allowed me to look down while talking without feeling like I was deliberately avoiding looking at him in his face.

Mr. Stark didn’t say anything.  He didn't interrupt once.

He just listened.


	18. Settling into the new Normal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy the Team Spider-Man parts! Plus more Iron Dad...

 “…stupid as it sounds, facing it head on and talking about it does work!”  Stark was on a roll.

We have been talking for a while now and it has been going so much better than I expected. Mr. Stark does have some really helpful advice and I feel comfortable talking to him about it. I guess knowing that he has been there before me does help quite a bit. It was also nice to have Mr. Stark’s undivided attention.

“Yeah. I know all that logically…it’s just that…sometimes, I almost do the exact opposite and then I lash out and it becomes a vicious circle that I can’t escape. Mr. Stark you might be able to help with me something… yesterday as we were leaving school, someone bumped into me in the hallway. And it didn’t hurt, but there must have been a sharp edge on their backpack and it hit my shoulder right where…well…uh you know…and instantly made me think of being stabbed. I almost lost it right there. Thank God MJ was right behind me and saw the whole thing. She got me out of the hall and was asking me how I was doing. But then, like an idiot, I got embarrassed and told her to mind her own business and walked off. I haven’t talked to her since. In a way I was glad to come here so I could avoid her for a bit longer…cause…I don’t know what to say or what she will say…”

“Well, might I suggest is that you start with saying you’re sorry and explain that you were having a moment and didn’t handle it well. She is a smart girl. She knows that already, and she might be a bit angry, but in the end, she will understand. The important part is that you talk. I think you should give her a call and tell her that today.”

“Yeah,” I sigh, “your right…of course. But the thing is…it is just so annoying because it isn’t even the thing that is bothering me that causes problems but embarrassment over how I am not handling it.”

I feel like I just said the most obvious thing ever. Mr. Stark is ready with an answer almost as soon as I finish talking. “Yeah…Classic teenage issues, honestly. Well stop worrying about bothering other people or what they think. As long as you have people around you that know what you are going through, they  _can_  help you. Each in their own way. May, Ned, MJ and even Flash. And bonus… you have myself, Pepper, Happy, Vision and Natasha. We will all help you, promise!”

He tilted his head at me, “Also…. you  _have_  to allow yourself to have a bad day. Because, it’s going to happen. And…that’s…okay! If you stick with this, one day you will wake up and “it” will be behind you. Not gone, cause it is now a part of you, but no longer will “it” be leading you.”

He took a final sip from his coffee cup and then looked over at the clock on the wall. “Well, I think that’s a good place to stop this week. Not bad Parker! Really, I mean it. Well done!” He comes over and claps me hardily on the back.

Behind us, I see Happy walk into the room and stand waiting. “Ah, Happy! Right on time! Mr. Parker! Let’s get you back home so you still have time to enjoy the rest of your weekend. Shall we do this again next week?”

As I agree to the plans, I jog over to the table to gather my stuff. I didn’t get a chance to do much of my homework, so I am glad that we are heading back now. ‘Thanks Mr. Stark! Yes, next week should be fine. Would…uh would it be okay if…if I brought Ned and MJ with me?”

Laughter from behind me, “Yes Parker…fine.”

And then I remember the internship, “Oh, and could you send a letter to Flash telling him he was accepted in the Internship program…off my recommendation? That will help us with our ‘ _story’._ ”

The two men rolled their eyes at that, but Mr. Stark assured me he would take care of it. Feeling like I had accomplished quite a bit today, I gave him a merry wave and headed out as Happy turned to leave.

The ride home is much more pleasant.  Happy even talks to me about mundane things that make me feel more comfortable in the car with him this time.

Once home, I call Ned, but he tells me that he can’t meet because he has to babysit his sisters. I offer to come over to his, but he says no. Probably he doesn’t want to endure the torture of younger sisters teasing him in front of a friend. I don’t blame him…at all. Besides, this will give me a chance to catch up on my homework. Before he hangs up, he tells me that the team meeting was now lunch tomorrow, so we could all catch up then.

Perfect…will be seeing MJ tomorrow…

Before I lose it my nerve, I take Mr. Stark’s advice and call MJ. She doesn’t answer so I leave a message, which is honestly better because it allows me to avoid her yelling at me a bit longer. “Uh MJ…it me, Peter. Hey, I just wanted to tell you I’m sorry I snapped at you Friday. I was having a bad day and I wound up taking it out on you. You were just trying to help and didn’t deserve that. I’m…sorry MJ. Ned says we are all meeting tomorrow, so I can give you a proper apology then, okay? See you tomorrow!” I hang up feeling much better as I turned to work on my homework.

The next day I text the group to confirm we are meeting at a local coffee shop…one that few fellow students would ever think to go, so we should have relative privacy meeting up.

Once there, I gladly endure a punch from MJ for being mean to her on Friday, and then another for canceling the meeting yesterday and then a third for going to the Avengers compound and not bringing them. Rubbing my arm, I explain why I really went and that I had asked if they could come next weekend…this seems to placate MJ, so she sits back and sips on her milk shake,

I tell Flash that Mr. Stark agreed to our idea and that he would be sending a letter to his home telling he was accepted. This would give him a cover with his parents and also the letter could be the excuse to give his friends on why he is being nicer to me.

Ned is gleeful and thinks the plan is brilliant! MJ just snorts as she is munching on her fries. I lean over and playfully steal a fry., “We would have included you in the script if you wanted, MJ…still time to change your mind.” I grin and duck away to avoid yet another punch.

Flash is just awed that Mr. Stark agreed.   “But doesn’t he know how I have been messing with you? Does he even know if I am qualified…or is this not a real internship?”

I smile, “Oh, it’s real! And yes, he does, but he really appreciates that you are willing to change. So, you can let all that go, okay? Besides, you are going to love it at the compound. The work he is doing…some of it is light years ahead of what is possible now.” All this helped Flash stop stressing and begin getting impatient for next Saturday.

As they pepper me with questions, I tell them all about my visit, skimming over my session with Mr. Stark. Flash wants to know all about the facility and Ned and MJ ask questions about next weekend.

Everyone is excited for next weekend…even me!

\--------

The following weeks flew by so quickly that before we knew it, the school year was almost over. I couldn’t believe that summer was coming. No school for 3 months! I hadn’t been sure how I was going to be spending my summers when I got the note from Mr. Stark…Tony…asking if I would be interested in coming to stay at the compound. I about freaked when May said yes. I practically ran to the school that day, excited to tell the guys.

When I got there, I had my usual routine of going into the school, but instead of Flash trying to run me down like he used to, now he called out a “Hey Parker!” and I wave to him as I run into the school. Then I get to my locker and Ned meets me, but instead of greeting me with some Lego related quote, now he has MJ next to him and they both have these giant grins on their faces. I suddenly realize I wasn’t the only one to get a letter. Flash comes up just then and…well his grin is all the confirmation I need.

“Wow, so we are all going to the Avengers compound for the summer?! This is so...COOL!” I cannot help the smile on my face either. This summer was going to be epic!

MJ then gives a trademark droll comment, “Yeah…not sure how I am going to survive spending it with you three dorks!”

Ned rolls his eyes, “Somehow…” he watches how she looks at Peter, “I think you’ll manage.”

“And how will you manage, Ned? Don’t forget it was you who hacked the suit that one time…wonder what Mr. Stark had to say about that?”

Ah MJ…calling us on our crap. And she does have a very good observation skills. I had mentioned that only one and in passing, but she remembered and came to the right conclusion too. If I didn’t know any better, I would say she was enhanced.

And she always knew how to cut me down a peg or two without even trying. Like when Flash and I did our little “skit” for his friends over him getting the Stark Internship letter. We had the whole thing planned out – I would be walking in the hall and he would come up with his posse. He would demand that I confirm that I recommended him for the internship and then we would have this “talk” and come to a mutual understanding that would end with Flash grudgingly saying, “Your…alright Parker.” And then they could show everyone that they were friends without worrying.

Ned, Flash and myself thought it was brilliant and we pulled it off pretty well. The only hitches were; I could see Ned to the side mouthing the words of our dialogue, like an acting coach watching his charges, and MJ with her trademark book nearly plastered to her face. I could tell she was laughing at us the way she pressed the book close and the shudder of her shoulders trying to keep it all in…not a confidence builder seeing that.

But in the end, it worked, and everyone just accepted that me and Flash were friends now. And now with us all getting invited to the compound for the summer, we had a perfect excuse to be all hanging out together. Which meant, for the next few weeks, until the end of school, we would have the perfect excuse to hang together.

That afternoon we were talking about the compound and wondering what we would be doing over the summer. Ned asked if could remember any cool tech that they were working on. Thinking back on the times we had been there and the one that stood out was the holograms. I mentioned them, but Ned wasn’t sure what As I was telling Ned about it, he was geeking out again big time, “Do you think Mr. Stark would let us work on that tech? Oh wow…can you imagine!”

MJ pipped up in with something unrelated, “Peter…can you tell me again about the creepy guy you mentioned before?”

“Uh, he was creepy?” That response earned me a deserved punch, so I continued, “He was old, had grey hair. His eyes were really cold, almost lifeless and he had this horrible mustache.”

MJ turned her sketchbook around…I was rather shocked to see she had quickly sketched the guy I described. And the likeness was scary, “Yeah! That’s him! Wow, MJ you are good!”

Flash looked at the face and then was typing in his computer. “Is this the guy?” He turned his laptop towards the group and there he was. I noticed under the picture was the name “General Thaddeus Ross”.  He was the Secretary of State. The picture brought the same shiver down my spine.

MJ looked at the picture and nodded, “As I suspected. He’s the one that approved the Sokovia Accords. And that was what they were probably discussing in that meeting. Remember Captain America and the others that refused to sign? I bet Ross was trying to get Mr. Stark to tell him where they are. He has been looking for them for a while now.” She looked at me earnestly now, “Peter, you need to stay out of that guys way. If he knew about you…”

Ned and Flash nodded, “Yeah Peter, she’s right.” They both looked concerned.

After discussing it amongst ourselves, we decided, which I am sure May would approve, that I would try and stick to the shadows more. No more flashy saves. I would stick to save and dash. Hopefully that would keep us out of the news and avoid prying eyes. I didn’t want to sign the Accords either and I definitely didn’t want to be a fugitive like Captain America.

But I suppose it was really wishful thinking on our part. There really wasn’t any way to avoid it forever. I think that first time, when he saw me…he already knew or at least suspected.

So, I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised when it all went horribly wrong.


	19. Student Assembly from Hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to get some action in... GO Spidey!

The day started like any other: Flash yelling “Hi!” in the parking lot, Ned and MJ meeting me at my locker, us all making plans to meet after school to speculate, yet again, about what we might be working on during our summer vacation at the Avenger Compound.

The morning announcement gave a reminder to everyone about the assembly today in the school gym during 3rd period. It was the annual student recognition assembly and I was excited because while the awards were kind of a joke, the speeches lame, it was still better than 3rd period Physics. Not that I didn’t love physics or Ms. Warren…it was just that I was so far beyond the subject matter that the class was just…so…incredibly boring!

When 3rd period finally came, everyone eagerly filed into the gym.  

“Hey Parker…wait up!” Flash came up and looked down at my backpack that I was holding. “Shouldn’t you leave that in the room? That’s what Ms. Warren told everyone to do. Do you ever listen to your teachers, Parker?” He gave a grin and punched me playfully on my shoulder.

It was still weird that me and Flash were now – dare I say it? - friends. Flash still had his smart-ass attitude, but honestly getting to know him more – I had to admit, I really liked the guy. Without the usual jealously and take down comments sent my way, I could see how incredibly funny and smart he was. Plus, it was just fun to now be able to give as much as I got and not fear utter humiliation of another Penis Parker joke. “Well, you should know I need to keep a  _certain item_  near me at all times in case there was an emergency…or did you forget that was your idea?” I gave him the classic ‘oh snap!” look and he laughed.

“Good one Parker…good one!” As we entered the gym, I tried to spot Ned and MJ, but we were directed to sit where we came in. Flash insisted we sit on the edge so if I had to leave, I could do it easily and without attracting too much attention…another of his suggestions.

In hindsight, it was actually a good one.

“So, you think Ned will get an award for perfect attendance?” He grins as he scans the gym for Ned and MJ. I can’t help smiling as I sadly shake my head...I don’t think he’s wrong. Ned hates to miss school. I am pretty sure he hasn’t missed a day, so there was a good chance.

Principal Morita is just stepping up to the podium when a familiar feeling starts buzzing in my head making me grab Flash’s arm. I frantically whisper to them, “Something’s not right!” I quickly scan the room but don’t see anything…yet. “Flash, my Spidey sense is going off like gangbusters here.”   I push Flash off the edge of the bleachers and follow him down. Luckily, he was right - no one notices. Everyone is focused on Mr. Morita who is trying to calm the noise level in the gym, so he can start the assembly…he isn’t doing such a good job.

Quickly Flash and I duck behind the bleachers. “Something bad is about to happen. I need you to stay here under the bleachers and stay out of sight.” As I am speaking I am already jamming my hand into my backpack and after making sure no one can see me, I pull out my suit.

I can barely concentrate now because my senses are all dialed up to 11. But I can clearly hear what is happening on the other side. Mr. Morita has finally gotten the crowd relatively quiet and begins the presentation.

The tension I am feeling is building fast…

“Welcome everyone! Today we are going to celebrate those students who-“

And then it happens.

There is a loud bang that was repeated almost simultaneously as each of the doors to the gym slammed open revealing armed men which suddenly block each door. A man enters one of the doors and starts to march determinedly towards the podium. One of the teachers that must not have seen the guns, steps forward to intercept the man. As he nears him, the man turns and punches the teacher full in the face. The man drops to the floor, out cold. There is this still moment of silence as all student’s eyes go from what happened to the nearest door and students are registering the guns being carried by the men. It is at this point that total pandemonium takes over.

Meanwhile, I am frantically getting into my costume and Flash is pulling out his phone, but not sure what to do.

To calm him down, I give him some directions, “Flash, I need you to get a hold of Ned and MJ. Let them know to keep their heads down…tell them where you are and see if they can get to you or stay put.” Flash looks up at me with wide eyes. I put a gentle hand on his arm. “Take a breath. Just focus on making those calls…I’ll take care of the rest…deal?”

And with that, I am pulling on my mask and moving towards the edge of the bleachers. Flash seems to recover then and calls out to me in a loud stage whisper, “Hey…Spider-Man…be careful!”

I give him a little salute and then I am off. I quickly pop my head out to assess the situation in the main gym area. Students are all frantically trying to get out, but the men with guns cause everyone to turn and run the other way. It’s such is a weird scene. Everyone seems to be running everywhere…except for those students in too much shock to do much more than crouch down and cover their heads.

I have to act quick before someone gets really hurt, “Karen, call Mr. Stark. Let him know the school has come under attack. Then I need you to tell me how many gunmen I am dealing with and their exact locations.” My display instantly shows me there are 5 men - one at each door as well as the guy still walking towards the podium.

“Peter, I have notified the Avenger compound and the local police to the situation. Friday has informed me that Mr. Stark is on his way, eta - 10 minutes. He says you should not do anything stupid before he gets here.”

Well, I was going to listen to that instruction, I really was, but then several of the men started pointing their guns at students as one of the men reached the podium and backhanded our principal as he grabbed the microphone out of his hand. “STOP!” His voice is loud and instantly everyone freezes.  “You all will do exactly what I say or I am going to start shooting.  Starting…” He points his gun at Mr. Morita’s head. “with this man.”

His voice has an edge to it that makes my Spidey sense tingle.  He is going to make an example of someone.  We don’t have 10 minutes - I can’t wait for back up.

It is pure luck that I am situated behind the man talking and none of the men are looking in my direction. I quickly look back to see that Flash is safely hidden and then I turn back to the guy closest to me.

I quickly web him and yank him towards me. As he flies towards me, I punch him hard in the face…I don’t have time to be nice about it. He needed to go down without a sound. Then I quickly web him up and rush behind the bleachers to the other side and do the same thing to the other guy.

Only about 30 seconds have gone by and no one has noticed, most importantly, none of the gunmen have seen yet. But that won’t last long.

The man is getting agitated because the students are not moving fast enough. “Everyone get back to the bleachers…NOW! Or this man is going to die.”

Oddly enough, the direction he gives actually helps me with my next move. Once the students are going back to their seats, I have a clear view of the remaining men. As Karen tracks the two men by the doors, I launch a web grenade near each of them.

Immediately after that, I shoot a web up to the ceiling and pull myself up towards the roof of the gym. The man at the podium is still yelling at the students to sit down as I launch myself at him.

It was at that moment that several things happened at the same time. Both my grenades go off and webbing slams the two men into the wall. One of the windows of the gym suddenly blows out as  _Iron Man_  comes flying into the gym.

And as this is happening, I am swinging down towards the 5th man, he notices the shocked faces of the students – many of whom are pointing behind him. Which means, he is slowly turning towards me when I slam into him at full speed, knocking him away from Mr. Morita. Then hit him with a taser web…it takes all my effort not to shout out “Taser Web!” I am checking on Mr. Morita just as Iron Man lands next to me.

“Good job, kid! We will take it from here. You need to make yourself scarce…like now. Police are on their way.” Iron Man looks over at me as he holds a blaster to the guy on the floor. I nod my head, give my trademark wave as I swing back up and out the shattered gym window.

Knowing I can’t go down, I crawl up onto the roof where I watch Rhodey flying into the school right after. My adrenalin is pumping like mad, I can’t believe what just happened. And this was the first real battle, where lives were on the line that I had since the ferry. I am so relieved that I didn’t freeze up and it looked like I did everything right back there. Maybe this means I am on the road to full recovery…no more shaking, no more freezing…I hope.

But, now I have to think about what to do next. I must find a way to get back down there and join the group so no one notices I am missing. As I am thinking the best way to do this, Rhodey flies over me. I look up as my backpack lands next to me. And in my suit, I hear directions to get back to the gym without anyone noticing.

I quickly grab my bag, change back into my clothes and then following instructions, I manage to slip back into the gym without anyone noticing. I try to look as worried as other students I come across.

Inside the gym, everything is still insane but of course, WAY calmer than it was just a few minutes ago. I see off in the distance that Iron Man is speaking to the police who have arrived on scene. Several of them are rounding up the gunmen which are quickly removed from the scene to help calm the students.

Mr. Morita is back on the microphone and directing students to sit back to the bleachers or talk to the ENT if they were injured. Meanwhile, the teachers are trying to make sure all the students are accounted for. The is an EMTs are attending the teacher that was knocked out and several students that look like they might have been injured during the may lay. Several of the students are openly weeping as they are being comforted by their friends. Many of the students are openly trying to call their parents.

It’s a big mess.

Looking around I don’t see any of my friends and I start to get nervous. Suddenly I don’t even have to pretend to be concerned when I ask if anyone knew where they were.

Eventually I find them, and everyone gives me a big hug. Ned’s eyes are as big as saucers. “Wow, Peter…that was…awesome!” MJ jabs him in the ribs and he stops before saying anything more.

“Is everyone okay?” I am so worried that my actions were not enough.

MJ’s eyes are warm as she puts a hand on my shoulder, “Yes…everyone is okay. There were a couple of minor injuries, but Peter…it could have been…so much worse.” She sounds a little overwhelmed and I realized that this must have been the first time she had seen me in action against some actual bad guys.

We all kind of huddle together and then Flash leans in and whispers, “Peter…would it be okay…if we could…maybe come over to your house once they let us go? My dad can’t stay after he picks me up and…I don’t really want to be alone this evening.” He looks at me a little lost, “He could drop me off at yours?”

MJ and Ned both look at me eagerly and I sense that they have the same request, “Uh…sure…May has to go back to work too. I think she’ll feel better if I have friends to stay with until she gets off.”

It was another hour before we were finally allowed to leave. As we walked back to our cars, Ned, MJ, Flash and myself walked together while May talked with the other parents. When we all got to the parking lot, it was decided that May would take us all to my house now and then everyone would be picked later tonight. The news that we would go directly home together made everyone feel better – even Flash who had to leave his car at the school.

When we finally get to the apartment, we all quickly dumped our bags in the living room. May followed behind while she was sorting through the mail as she spoke to all of us, “Hey guys, if you all are settled, I’ll head back to work, then. Would you guys be okay if I just picked up pizza for dinner?”

Ned did a fist bump with Flash and MJ put in a request for Hawaiian knowing the rest of us would be asking for Peperoni.

May had just given us the thumbs up when suddenly, my Spidey sense went nuts and all I managed to get out was, “Get DOWN!” before…

…all hell broke loose…


	20. What was it like for MJ?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Needed to get some MJ POV in there...hope you like?

MJ couldn’t believe how much her life had changed in just over a month.

Finding out for sure that Peter was Spider-Man should have been the most shocking part of all this, but truthfully that was more of a confirmation for her than a surprise. She had always been the one that noticed things and by the time she got to Midtown, that skill had been put into overdrive.

Freshman year, when she first met Peter Parker, she was instantly interested in him. Something about him drew her to him. She couldn’t figure out why though…on the outside, he seemed just like any other student. Curious, she turned her observational skills onto the boy. Over the year she learned he was truly brilliant, but loath to bring attention to it -  _typical smart kid syndrome_.  He was socially awkward, but fiercely loyal to his best friend, Ned.  As she continued watching Peter over the year, she learned a lot about him and so she noticed when something changed.

It was after the school trip in February.  He had been out for a few days with a bad case of the flu.  But when he came back, he seemed super healthy…almost better than before he was sick.  She noticed that he wasn’t as physically awkward, and his reflexes were noticeably improved.  He seemed almost giddy most of the time and laughed a lot more.  He also started showing interest in the sport of parkour.  Which he had never even mentioned before.  She noticed the YouTube videos on his laptop and he had asked some of the kids that were into it about places to practice.

But then the unimaginable happened.  Her heart broke for Peter when she heard the news.  Peter’s uncle had been shot and killed…right in front of him.  It had happened during Spring break and for the rest of the year, Peter was a mess.  All the teachers were very helpful to Peter and May.  MJ was never prouder to be a student at Midtown seeing how they took care of them.

When the fall semester began, even though Peter and his aunt had the summer to recover… MJ was surprised to see Peter was back, but she was extremely glad when she saw him.  However, she had to push any feelings she felt down as she saw that he only had eyes for a senior named Liz.  She told herself she wasn’t jealous, but a hard shell definitely formed as she watched Peter and then Ned fawn over everything Liz did over the next few months.

But aside from the Liz infatuation, MJ found Peter was more subdued and went out of his way to not stand out in any way.  They had several classes together and she noticed each time it happened.  Like one time, during gym, they had a class where they were doing an obstacle course.  That day, Peter jumped over the vaulting horse easily...almost too easily.  He seemed to realize this and then he …fell -  _deliberately_.  When he did, his shirt slipped up his chest a bit.  He quickly pulled his shirt back down, but not before she saw how massively developed and tone his abs were.  Any other male would have been happy to show them off, but not Peter. Over time, she noticed this more and more.  Why?  She was intrigued…it was a mystery that she now wanted to solve.

When he got the Stark Internship, then his behavior got really got odd.  He suddenly couldn’t wait to get out of school.  He no longer showed interest in any of the classes…his grades never suffered, but that just confirmed how smart he was.  MJ was curious why he was leaving so quickly each day.  One time, she tried to follow him out, but he seemed to disappear – curious!

Then he started dropping all his after-school activities.  And then one day, Ned suddenly seemed to be in on the “secret” …whatever it was.  She overheard them when they were watching those awful Captain America videos, “Did you meet him?” “I stole his shield.”  Curious…what could that mean?

And then came the Homecoming Dance.  He ditched his dream girl, Liz. His face when he raced out of the dance was devastated, but he still ran, and Ned soon followed.  The next day, after hearing about the plane that went down, the capture of the “Vulture” (seriously?), when Peter showed up to school with bruises on his face - that’s when it all fell into place and she knew.  She decided to test him and so at the next decathlon meeting she taunted him.  But seeing the look of fear on his face when she said, “What are you hiding?”, she suddenly decided she couldn’t say anything.

She told herself it was because she felt bad for him, but in her heart of hearts, it was because of how she felt about him.  Her heart had betrayed her.  Lately, she realized it beat faster every time Peter was near her and when he would smile that smile at her…oh man.

_Girl…who you trying to fool?_

She had it bad for Parker, but she didn’t want to admit it to anyone, least of all herself.  And for being so observant, she failed to notice recently as Peter began to show signs he liked her right back but was too scared to ask her.  Lately, Ned and Flash were highly amused by this blind leading the blind romance that was developing.  “Wanna bet it takes them at least another year before they even realize their own feelings?”  Flash had made a bet with Ned after watching the two of them stutter their way through a discussion over ice cream.  Ned could only shake his head at the complete obliviousness on both sides.

After Homecoming, Peter, Ned and MJ became closer and MJ was happy.  That was until the unthinkable happened.

She wasn’t aware of why Peter was out that one Friday, but when he came back on the Monday, MJ could tell something bad had happened.  Peter was jittery and had trouble focusing.  Ned hovered around his friend and then they didn’t come to the lunch room like they usually did.

Flash walked by and noted that they were missing.  He seemed to suddenly need to know where they had gone, he ducked out of the lunch room early.  Flash…god that kid really annoyed MJ.  Especially since this year, he seemed to decide that Peter was going to be the butt of all his jokes.  He went out of his way to try and humiliate Peter and it seemed especially so when Liz was around or if he thought he could make Peter look stupid.  It was just SO annoying, but then it came to a head this particular day.

MJ could tell that Flash was agitated when she came into the room for the decathlon team meeting.  She steered clear and went to her usual spot and opened a book to read until they got started.  Ned was already sitting on the stage waiting for everyone to arrive.  He seemed preoccupied by something in his hand.  Flash had sat down to do some work while he waited, but soon got bored.  He wanted up onto the stage and stood behind Ned.  When he saw what Ned was holding he seemed to recognize it and got a mischievous gleam in his eye.

MJ was going to ignore them, but Ned went ballistic.  “Flash! What are you doing? Give it back! No…no…stop!”  Ned was trying to get off the stage to stop Flash, but he was too late.  MJ had jumped down to help but then she froze when the video started on Flash’s laptop.

She at first couldn’t process what she was seeing.  It appeared Flash was the same.  He was making jokes at first but as the video went on, Flash's grin slowly slid off his face.  For her part, MJ's chest tightened, and her hand was pressed against her mouth, trying to contain her own cries of despair.

As it went on and on, MJ couldn’t believe how much Peter was going through and all she wanted to do was reach through the screen and stop it his pain, but she couldn’t.

Then the man threatened to hurt the people in Peter's life and she saw the reason why Peter truly was - a super hero.

It was at that moment that the sound of a phone loudly ringing in the gym caused her to look over only to see Peter…standing there...with a horrified look on his face.  _Oh, my god!_

Shaking herself to break the paralysis she was in, MJ tried to stop Peter before he disappeared.  But she was too late, so she went back into the gym to get Ned and Flash moving to help fix this mess.

In the end, MJ was glad she had been there, if only for Peter's sake.  But trying to deal with what she had witnessed her friend go through, when they had gotten to Pete’s apartment, she was close to collapsing. Thank god for Ant May.  As soon as May found out that MJ had seen the video, she had pulled her into the bathroom to check on her.

As soon as the door closed, May placed a hand on her arm and asked her gently, “MJ…are you okay?” When MJ just mutely nodded, May had pulled her into a hug. MJ broke down immediately and May just held her until she was finished. “I know…I know. It is awful to think that someone could do that to Peter.  But I will tell you what Natasha and Pepper told me.  Peter made it out and he has healed physically. But he is going to need our help to get through this mentally.  Okay?”

“Yeah, I know…I just wish I hadn’t…” and May has nodded that she understood.  The talk really helped MJ, so she was able to get back to being there for her friend.

\----------------

And for a while, things were getting back to normal.  Then the attack on the school and Peter showed he had recovered enough to be Spider-Man in a real emergency.  Everyone was so proud - even if they were freaked out by the attack.

And then...

“GET DOWN!”

MJ reacted instinctively and dropped to the floor. The window behind her shattered and as she dropped, she watched Peter twist and contort his body to avoid the thing that came flying into the room.  There was a thump on the floor in front of her.  She looked at the device in horror, not sure what she was seeing.

Ned cried out, “Tear Gas!”  But Peter had already picked it up and chucked it back out the window.  Then the other window blew out as armed men swarmed into the apartment from both windows.  At the same time, the front door burst open and more men spilled in.

Everyone was yelling and all the kids in the room were on the floor with their hands over their heads.  One of the guards pulled May up and twisted her arm behind her back.  Peter instantly rushed over and pushed the guy away using his full strength which caused the man to fly across the room.

Upon seeing this, one of the men shouted into a radio, “Target has been confirmed. I repeat, Target has been confirmed.  Move, move, move!”  All the men in the room suddenly turned towards Peter.  More men were pouring into the apartment and he instantly went into fighting mode.

MJ watched from the floor as he took on 5 men at once and threw them around the room like they were toys.  She had never seen  _Peter_  use super strength…only Spider-Man.  Her mouth dropped open as she watched how effortlessly he fought the men trying to pull him down.

A voice came from the kitchen just then and the force of it caused everyone to pause.  “Peter Parker! I suggest you stand down, right now!”  All eyes turned to the speaker and there standing in the apartment was General Ross.  He had May Parker by the arm and there was a gun pointed to her head.

MJ shot a look at Peter and saw him tense to jump.  “Aunt May!”

“Uh, uh, uh. STAND DOWN!”  Ross, pushed the gun into May’s head causing her to winch.  Seeing this, the fight instantly went out of her friend.  The men surrounding him, quickly took the opportunity to swarmed him and get cuffs on him.

Only then did Ross lower his gun.  He stood there looking around and then turned to Peter with a smirk.  “Mr. Parker.  You are hereby under arrest for the assault on multiple law enforcement officers...”  He gestured to the several men slowly recovering on the floor.  “...and as an enhanced person, I order you to submit for testing to ensure the safety of the public.”

May instantly surged forward, “Safety of the public?  What?  No!  You can’t-“, but Ross didn’t let her finish.  He turned abruptly to her and shoved a document into her face.  She had no choice but to take it.

“This is a warrant for the arrest of one Peter Parker.  We WILL be taking him.  If any of you interfere, you will be arrested as well.” He turned to Peter, “Mr. Parker, if you resist arrest, I will take everyone into custody…it is your choice…”

May rushed over to her nephew, “Peter…no…don’t- “

Peter turned to her and rested his head on her shoulder for a second. Then he straightened, “May…I have to. It will be okay. Call Mr. Stark…he can sort this all out.”

Ross grinned at that. “Yes…please do that. Call Mr. Stark. I would very much like to speak to him about all this.”

Ross gestured to the men holding Peter and they started moving him out of the apartment.  Ned, Flash and MJ all stood up and started to protest but Peter turned to them and shook his head.  “Don’t guys. I couldn’t handle it if you were arrested too. Please?”

This couldn’t be happening!  MJ shook with rage, but she nodded her head.  With nothing else that she could do to stop this, she moved over to May and leaned into her.  Mays’s arm went around the girl giving as much support as she got from the gesture.  Ned stood with clenched fists and Flash just shook his head in denial.

As quickly as they had rushed in, the apartment emptied almost as quickly.  When May went to follow them out, Ross put a hand up to stop her.  “Mrs. Parker. I will not tell you this again.  You will stay here until we have safely removed the enhanced human from the premises.  If you do not, I will have you arrested.  Do I make myself clear?”

MJ came up and put a restraining hand on May to pull her away from the man.  She could tell that May was about to do something stupid and that would be of no help to Peter.  “May…don’t”

May’s face was an emotional wreck as she turned to MJ and it broke the girl’s heart to have to stop her from going after her nephew.  Seeing MJ’s own devastated face May takes a stabilizing breath as she turned back to Ross and stiffly nodded.  MJ knows she probably didn’t trust herself to not say something that might end up with her being arrested anyway.

Ross gave a snort, “Please give my regards to Mr. Stark.”  And with that, he sauntered out of the apartment.  The door jamb had been shattered, but the door could still close.  May rushed up to slam it closed as soon as the man passed the threshold.

In the apartment, everyone was just standing around in shock.

Ned voices what everyone is thinking.

“What do we do now?!”


	21. Busted Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How am I doing...any characters seem off? I'm trying to give them each a moment, but man...it's hard!

Tony was glad to finally be finishing up at the school.

He was speaking to the principal, while Rhodes was giving his statement to the officer in charge. He glanced over, watching as the last of the students were picked up. Tony realized he was getting tired.

 _Not that young any more_ , he thought wryly as he stifled a yawn.

Turning back to Mr. Morita, he again apologized to the principal for the gym window, which the man waved off. “Mr. Start, please. We are just grateful you were here to stop the attack and that none of the students were seriously hurt.   If it wasn’t for you…and Spider-Man…I shudder to think what might have happened.”

Tony nodded graciously, “Well, I’m just glad that it all turned out okay.” He gave his trademark grimace, “Still… I do feel bad about leaving the school damaged! I insist on paying for the repairs.” The man said no at first, but Tony kept insisting until the principal finally acquiesced.

Somehow feeling like he just won a tough business deal, he turned with a smile as Rhodes walked up. His friend also looked tired, “So, Tony…you all done? Can we leave now?”

Tony rolled his eyes, “Yes…just a few more minutes…Happy’s on his way.” Rhodes gave him a questioning look, “I don’t feel like flying back to the compound right now. We can just send the suits back on autopilot…and relax on the ride back. I put that feature in the suits for just this situation!”

Rhodes was chuckling as they both turned to walk towards the parking lot when Tony’s phone started ringing. Glancing at it and seeing May’s name, Tony happily took the call.  _He was eager to tell her all about how Peter was a hero today_. “Hey there May! You should be so proud! Peter did an aweso- “

Rhodes could hear May’s almost hysterical voice on the other end. “Tony! Please! I don’t know what to do! They took him. They took Peter!”  

Tony’s stomach dropped, and he stopped walking. “What? Who took Peter?”

“These soldiers, they raided our home…and this man named…Ross, I think?”

As soon as the men heard the name, they both instantly turned back to their suits. “May, I am on my way. Just stay put.” He ended the call and as they dashed by the principal and several officers still on the screen, he announced, “We have an emergency, so we have to take off in the suits now…okay?” Neither man waited for an answer as they hopped into their suits. They took off as soon as the suits closed around them.

“Rhodey, get back to the compound and get a hold of Natasha…I need her to see what she can find out about this. And do we know where Vision is? Get a hold of him and tell him we need him at the compound, like yesterday.  I’m going over to May’s, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“Yeah, figured…I’ll tell Happy to take the car over there, he can then take May to the compound for you.” Tony nodded and then zoomed away from his friend

As soon as the link was closed, Tony cursed up a storm. Taking a chance, he asked Friday to call Ross, but when the call went to voice mail, he knew that it was bad. Any other time, Ross would have taken his call on the first ring. Tony clenched his jaw telling Friday to hang up, there was no way he was going to leave him a message, especially how he was feeling right now.  _Damn him!_ Tony knew that Ross must be loving this.

Thinking back to that last meeting he had where Ross was insisting, yet again, that Tony tell him where Steve and Wanda and Clint and Sam and…that shrinking guy - what was his name? - were hiding. Tony had repeatedly told them he knew nothing, but that one official steadfastly insisted he was lying. As he and Tony got into it, Ross had just sat back and watched smugly. Tony had really wished they were really there, and not just holograms, just so he could get the satisfaction of punching the asshole in the face.

But then Ross had interrupted them and asked, “Stark…who’s that?” And Tony had an icy feeling of dread as he turned to see Peter watching the meeting in the hallway, with that awed look he always got about anything Stark related, plastered on his face. “Oh, that’s just one of my kid interns…sorry, he should be working, not sight-seeing.”   He tried to brush off the question as he turned the office walls opaque and turned back to the group. “Can’t get good help these days!” He said it lightly, hoping that would be the end of it.

“Anyway, Mr. Reyvon…as I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted…” he took a moment to pointedly look at Ross and then continued with his standard statement that he had no idea where the missing people were. In the end, Ross and his goons couldn’t prove he knew anything, so they finally had to admit defeat and end the meeting.

Tony had been smug, but Ross didn’t take the bait.  He stood and sighed, “Mr. Stark, I know you have information on their location and I am going to find a way to make you talk. Until next time.”   He gave a mock salute and then the room was empty. Tony wanted to feel like he had won that little battle, but he knew Ross wasn’t going to give up and that was annoying.

How right he had been…and he should have known too …the puzzled look on Ross’ face usually meant his curiosity had been piqued. In that perfect 20/20 hindsight, Tony realized that Ross must have looked into who Peter was. But why did he take him? What had happened?

It didn’t take long to get to Peter’s. He had flown over high to avoid bringing attention to himself. As he scanned the area, he saw it was strangely quiet when he arrived. No crowd of people, no police…no new cameras. The apartment windows to the Parker’s apartment had both been broken…inward. Tony went up the window. The curtain was pulled back as soon as he approached. May looked out and motioned Tony in.

Once inside, Tony was unnerved. The place looked like a tornado had blown through the place. Only the couch and a few bookshelves were undamaged. May stood there hugging herself and the kids were all sitting numbly on the couch as Tony took in the scene, “What the hell happened?!”

Ned was just shaking his head. “We had just gotten home and then suddenly the place was raided. Armed officers came through the window and broke down the front door. It was insane!”

MJ spoke up, “The men went after May and…Peter immediately went to help her. He threw one guy across the room and that’s when one guy radioed that they had found ‘The Target’…Mr. Stark, they knew about Peter. And they used him defending May as grounds to arrest him.  Said it was assault on an officer.” Her face was a mixture of concern and rage.

May grabbed Tony’s arm. “Tony, what is happening? Where did they take him? What are we going to do?”

Tony held up his hand, “First of all, do we know where they took him? Did they say anything?”

May shook her head. “No…but he said that he was ordering testing…to…” her eyes welled up, “to ensure the safety of the public!” May straightened her shoulders. “Tony, they can’t get away with this! This can’t be legal…can it?”

Flash had been looking at his phone as the others spoke. He soberly spoke up then, “The Sokovia Accords…listen to this. _Any enhanced individuals who do not sign will not be allowed to take part in any police, military, or espionage activities. They will also not be allowed to participate in any active missions undertaken by private or governmental law enforcement/military/intelligence organizations (such as S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers).” He looked up, his eyes flitting to each person._

If possible, everyone looked even more depressed when Flash finished. Tony couldn't let it continue, “Okay, we are not going to give up…huh? May, I need to get back to the compound. Talk to my people and see if we can find out what happened…and more importantly, what we can do.”

May nodded, “I’m coming with you.”

The kids all stood up expectantly, but Tony cut them off. “Oh, no…guys we need you to get home.”

May turned to the kids, “Guys, I was supposed to go to work and you were going to be picked up by your parents. We need to stick to the plan. I don’t want to have to explain to your parents what happened- “.

MJ interrupted her, “Mrs. Parker, we understand. We can clean up here until our parents get here.” She looked at the boys and they both nodded in agreement. “You go ahead, we will be okay.”

May and Tony both looked grateful to the kids. “Thanks guys, we will keep you posted as soon as we hear anything. Please go to school tomorrow and don’t say anything. I’m going to call the school and tell them Peter will be out, so they shouldn’t worry about him…for now.” She looked at Tony, worry plain on her face.

After the adults left, the kids started working on cleaning up the mess. MJ was picking up pieces of the smashed bookcase when she spoke out loud what they were all thinking, “I hope Peter is okay. Guys, we can’t just go home…not after that…”

“Oh, thank goodness…I was thinking the same thing!” Ned turned to her and glanced at Flash, who nodded.

“I was too. Do you guys want to come over my place? You could definitely stay the night, we have plenty of room. Would you guy’s parents be okay with that? Mine have a charity event they are going to until late…they won’t care if I had people over, in fact they would be glad I wasn’t by myself.” Both MJ and Ned nodded. MJ’s dad was extremely busy, so he really didn’t care what she did as long as it didn’t affect his work and at Ned’s house, having one less kid to deal with for the night was a good thing.

They finished cleaning up – as much as they could – and then all went over to Flash’s. They spent most of the night trying to figure out where Peter was and how Ross knew about Spider-Man.

Tony would have been impressed by how much they discovered without all of Tony’s tech and connections.

\----------------

As soon as Tony arrived at the compound, he went directly to Rhodey for an update. When he entered the room, Pepper was already there talking to Natasha. He didn’t even say hello, “What’s the latest?”

Rhodes looked up from his data pad. He flicked his towards the main screen and it began to fill with images. Tony frowned, “Why are you showing me the guys from the school?”

“It’s because they are connected to this whole thing.” Rhodes pointed to one face and drew it to the front and made it bigger. “See this guy? Well, that’s Marlo Warrington. He happens to be the 2nd in command for Mac Gargan’s crew.”

You could hear a pin drop as everyone was suddenly silent. “What?” Tony turned slowly to look at Rhodes.

“Yeah, and he told the police that he was ordered to the school…by Gargan. He said his instructions were to find out if Spider-Man went to the school and then kill him.” Rhodes shook his head as he read the statement. “But here’s the thing. He couldn’t have talked to Gargan. The man has been on lock down ever since…what happened. And Fury made sure that man lost any memory of Peter and Spider-Man.”

Natasha came over to them now. Pepper was not far behind, “Yeah, Nick said your device worked like a charm.  Gargan remembers nothing about Peter and he has been under constant surveillance. We know for a fact, he never talked to anyone, especially that guy, since he was arrested.”

“So, what does this mean?”

“I’m afraid what it means is that whole incident at the school was a trap.”

“What do you mean…a trap?” Of course, May and Happy chose that moment to join the group. Happy quickly tried to diffuse the tension which was building, “Hey Boss, she insisted I bring her right to you…sorry…”

Tony just wiped his face and waved him off. They wouldn’t be able to avoid May forever…better she knew what was going on. He turned back to Rhodes and motioned for him to continue.

Rhodes looked sadly at May, “It means that Ross set up the whole thing at the school to flush out Spider-Man. They must have had some idea…I’m not sure how, but they could have had drones flying around the school and all they had to do was catch Peter changing when he was on the roof.  Once they had evidence, they could get a warrant and arrest him.”

Tony slammed his hand on the table, “Dammit! He saw Peter that one time and he has been after me for months now to give information on Steve Roger’s whereabouts. I think he went after Peter to get back at me and to make me talk!”

May was slightly wide eyed as she approached Tony, “Well, what are you waiting for? Call the bastard and give him the information. Get Peter out of this!”

Pepper stepped forward and gently touched May, “I’m afraid it is not that easy…”

“Why the hell not?” May was getting visibly frustrated now.

Tony shifted his shoulders, “Well, I really don’t know where Steve and his gang are. I have been telling Ross this for months, but he won’t believe me. I am trying to find a way to get in touch with them though. But the other problem is - Ross hates me. I’m worried that he won’t release Peter even if I did tell him. We may need to come up with another way to get Peter out.”

“And for both of those reasons...“, Tony continued pacing frantically as he spoke.

“…I'm gonna to need…more help.”


	22. Menace to Society?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry....having some inspiration difficulties. Please feel free to give me ideas...I could use them!!

When the window shattered, I knew I was in trouble. The canister of tear gas was supposed to incapacitate anyone in the room. They were prepared.

My Spidey sense allowed me to catch the canister and chuck it back out the window before it went off, but almost immediately the apartment filled with armed men. I tried to hold back doing anything but then one of the men was hurting Aunt May and I didn’t think – I just pushed the guy off her. He flew across the room…

Then all hell broke loose as the men went after me. I could have taken them, but then I heard my name, “I suggest you stand down, right now!” When I turned to see May with a gun pressed to her head, I wanted to break the man’s arm, but when I went to move, he pushed the gun hard against May’s head and knew I had to give in. The man holding the gun was strangely familiar but the look on his face was deadly.

I didn’t have a choice…and he knew it. The men around me swarmed and quickly put handcuffs on me. I had an instant panic when I tested the cuffs and couldn’t even move them. Then he threatened my friends and May if I didn’t cooperate. I could tell they all were on the brink of getting arrested anyway, so I had to tell them all to stand down.

As the men pulled me out of the apartment, I was terrified. That they would arrest them anyway, that people in the building would see what was going on, that my secret would be out…but most of all I was terrified of what was to come.

The men shoved me into a van. There were more people inside. One of them pulled me forward as another snapped a collar around my neck. As the doors behind me slammed closed I panicked and tried to break away. The third man in the van yelled and quickly hit the button on the console behind him and the collar started to glow.

The next thing I knew, there was a surge of electricity that pulsed through my entire body causing it to arch backwards. I couldn’t maintain my feet and I fell sideways into the van wall. I tried hard to get up, to do anything but I couldn’t move and the current just continued to shock me as the men watched me.

One of them told the one on the controls, “He’s still struggling…up the dose!” At which point, the collar delivered another, stronger shock that finally did its job. The pain was just too much and my brain sort of shut down.

\-----------------

When I woke up, I was in a room with plain walls and a desk in front of me. There was a wall length mirror on the wall behind the table. I jerked up and tried to get up only to find I was chained to the floor. The damn collar was still around my neck.

The door opened, and I felt my heart sink as the man from earlier…I think his name was Ross…walked in. “Well, well, well. So, finally I get to meet the infamous Spider-Man.” He walked over to the desk and threw a file on the table. “My name is Secretary of State Ross. I created the Sokovia Accords trying to create a safer world. We have been watching you and it looks like you have been operating as an unregistered gifted for some time now. Which means we have the legal right to put you away…” He leaned in close to my face. “…indefinitely. You want that? I’m betting you don’t.”

I didn’t know what to think. He was obviously trying to intimidate me, but what did he want from me? “Uh, no? If we could avoid that…I would really like to avoid that…”

“Good… good. So, here’s what we are going to do. You are going to tell me where your fellow non-signers are. I want to know where Captain America and his crew are.” Ross’s face hardened, “And if you don’t…you are going to regret it…for the rest of your life.”

I gulped and looked around the room. He opened the file on the desk and pushed some pictures towards me. Shots of me swinging around Queens, Captain America and me in Germany.  _Okay…now what?_  I looked up at the man, confused as to what they meant.

“We know you have been in contact with Captain America. I want to know where he is.” He slammed the table.

My heart beat in my chest, this was getting worse and worse by the moment. “I don’t know…” I started to say, but the words stuck in my throat. My pulse started to race, and my chest constricted. The room started to swim, and I was instantly back in that room with Gargan. I couldn’t catch my breath as Ross came over and stood over me. He reached down and yanked my face to look up at him.

“Get it together kid. You would save yourself a lot of problems if you would just tell me what I want to know.” He stood waiting as I continued to struggle to breath. Then he lost his patience and backhanded me across the face. It definitely was a shock and brought me back to the current situation, but I just glared at the man and refused to say anything.

“Fine…we can wait.” He stormed over to the door, knocking on it to get out. As the door opened, he turned back to me, “Since you are being stubborn, I’ve decided we are going to be doing some tests to get more information on what makes you tic. The longer you take giving me the information…the longer this is going to go on.   It’s really up to you.”

Then he left as two guards came in after him and pulled me to my feet and dragged me out of the room. They took me through a very heavily guarded facility that screamed military and into a strange area with cells that were set in a circle. As they shoved me into one of them, I tried to stay on my feet expecting that they would take the cuffs off, but the bars slammed shut and they left me there alone.

I looked around and everything was a grey metal color that was depressing as hell – probably on purpose to intimidate the prisoners housed here. I shuddered…because it was working. Not sure what else to do, I sat down on the bunk, and tried again to break the cuffs again.

But the more I struggled, the more I pulled on my shoulders and chest. I felt my panic begin to rise again at the slight pain that resulted. I bent my head to my chest and tried to get control…if I panicked again, there was no one to help. I focused on my breathing and tried to center myself. Once I was sure I wouldn’t collapse, I took a calming breath and focused all my energy into breaking the cuffs…I wasn’t going to stay like this. They might think they had me beat, but I did have a few tricks up my sleeve.

I took a deep breath and then  _pulled_ …I told myself, if I could lift a building, I could do this. I kept telling myself to keep going and was finally relieved when the cuffs finally snapped, and my arms were free.

_YES!_

But then, the collar on my neck glowed and I was hit with a huge blast causing my whole body to convulse and drop to the ground.

“Do that again and we will leave the thing on for a whole hell of a lot longer. Understood?” Exhausted, from the pain, I quickly nodded. “Good. Lights out!”

And with that the place was plunged into darkness. Feeling around I found the bunk and crawled onto it. I couldn’t believe that my day started with me saving people as Spider-Man and ended with me as a political prisoner in my own country.

Not only that, it really felt like Ross had it out for me. Great…how do I always seem to attract the bad guys who are out for revenge…though I don’t know what I ever did to Ross.

All I could do was hope that Mr. Stark and the others could get me out of here…wherever the hell this was…and fast.


	23. Testing...Testing...1.2.3...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Poor Spidey! Another person for you guys to hate!

That night was not a fun one. I couldn’t get any rest between the stupid collar and my mind racing over what happened and what was going to happen next.

I had already tweaked out several times already when my current predicament remined me too much of my little…adventure…with Gargan. I couldn’t keep answering Ross’s questions with “I don’t know” and then having a meltdown. If it wasn’t so horrible, it might be funny.   So, I tossed all night worrying about what he was going to ask me and how I could convince him that I didn’t know where Captain America or the rest of the Avengers, who didn’t sign the Accords, were.

As the night wore on, I started also worrying about May and my friends. I didn’t know what happened after I was arrested. I couldn’t just ask them because they might use that information against me. I needed to think up ways to get the info without directly asking.

I must have finally passed out because the next thing I know, the loud bang, of a door slamming open, jerks me awake.   Even though I am not fully conscious, my Spidey sense goes off and I instinctively jump up and away from the bed. I wind up on the ceiling struggling to process what the hell was going on. As I take in the cell and the guards standing outside, it all comes flooding back.

The bed where I had been a moment ago shows a dart sticking out of the mattress,  _that must have been what I sensed_. Apparently, the guards are not amused, “You were told not to use your powers again. Guess you’re going to have to be taught a lesson.” The fake tone of regret was not lost on me and I realized I had another person to add to my growing list of people that had it out for me.  _Just Great!_

The jolt from the collar was sudden and inescapable. My body spasmed and I instantly dropped from the ceiling. Helplessly I rolled on the floor as my body continued spasming. As promised, it lasted a lot longer than the last time. I was close to passing out when it mercifully stopped.

I could only lay there gasping as the door to the cell opened. Four guards squeezed in and quickly grabbed a limb each. They snapped shackles on my legs and arms, in front this time, thank goodness!

Then I was pulled to my feet and taken back to the interview room.

After some more manhandling, I again, I found myself chained to the floor. Though I made sure the men had to really struggle to get my arms behind me again. That ended when one guard held up the button for the collar and I reluctantly complied.  _Not the time to put up a fight_ , I told myself.

And then they were leaving, and Ross is coming back in with his folder tucked under his arm. He had a cup of coffee in one hand. It almost felt like we were going to be doing an interview instead of an interrogation. Almost…the chains were a dead giveaway.  _Oh good! Another session with crazy military guy with too much power_.

Ross sat down across from me and just watched me. I had decided that my best gambit would be to just stay quiet and give him the sullen teenager stare back. Not sure what was going to be accomplished, but better he did the talking at this point.

“Mr. Parker…I feel like we got off on the wrong foot.” He tried to make an expression that I guess was supposed to be more welcoming…but if that was the case, he failed spectacularly.

“You don’t want to be here…I don’t want you to be here. Who I do want here are the people who started this whole mess – Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, Clint Barton, Scott Lang, Wanda Maximoff…James Buchanan Barnes.” As he said each name, he pulled a photograph out of his file and laid it on the table before me.

One side showed them in normal clothes and the other showed them in costume when they were fighting in Germany. Each picture showed them next to me in my Spider-Man outfit. His point wasn’t lost on me. I had met all of them and so in his eyes, I could provide information on their whereabouts.

“My dear boy, these are the people that should be in this prison…not you. So why don’t you tell me what I want to know. Then you can go home. To your friends and your family and just be a normal kid again.” He looked at me expectantly.

I snorted, “How can I believe you? You are probably lying. You probably had my Aunt and my friends arrested as well. As for a normal life…you had 20 officers crammed into our apartment. That kind of thing doesn’t go unnoticed. Everyone in New York probably already knows who I am…my life will never be normal again.”

Ross got a smug look in his eye, “Oh, I am not lying. I know how to do these things - delicately. Sure, we needed to use a lot of men to take you in, but no one outside of that apartment even knows what happened. We released a gas into every other apartment in that building. The gas put everyone in a compliant stupor until I gave the all clear. Did you not think it odd that no one was in the halls or standing outside?”   Come to think of it, the halls were all empty and no police or camera crews outside…no crowds of curious onlookers like that time I saved that little girl… _god that seemed like a lifetime ago_. I had to admit, I was genuinely impressed and strangely grateful. There was still a chance my identity could be kept out of the public eye…a slim one, but a chance.

He continued, “And I operate on a need to know basis.  No one but myself knows anything about Spider-Man.  All anyone else knows at this facility is that you are an enhanced human.  Also, you should know that I always operate… By. The. Book. And I always keep my word. Your Aunt and friends were left unharmed. We had a warrant for your arrest and they did not interfere, and you did not resist. So, you see, you really  _can_  make this all…go away.” He spread his hands over the pictures and then pressed his hands together as he looked at me intently, “Just tell me what you know about these people and I give you my word…you will be released.”

Well, at least I knew the others were okay. And that everyone in Midtown didn’t already know I was Spider-Man. Trying to stick with the positive here!   But now came the hard part. I couldn’t give this man what he wanted, and I feared how he was going to react.

“Well, Mr. Ross,” (no harm with being polite!) I tried to sit up a little straighter, “I am really sorry, but I don’t have any information on any of these people. I swear to god, I don’t know where they are.” I looked at him expectantly…maybe he would believe me? Maybe-

He gave a huge, fake as hell, sigh, “Oh, Mr. Parker. I am sorry to hear that. I truly am. I would have very much preferred to have your cooperation.” He gathered everything back into the folder and then stood up. He knocked on the door and then turned back to me. “Since you won’t cooperate, I can now use the Accords mandate to get the information I want. You see they allow me to  _test_ you to ascertain if you could be a threat to the safety of the general public.” He looked almost gleeful now, “They do not specify what kind of testing or how long I can take either. And if I determine that you are a threat, you will be detained indefinitely… _without_  a trial.” He stood there looking at me, probably trying to see if his words scared me.

Well, I’m gonna admit it, yes…yes, they did.

But I was determined not react just because he wanted it. My stubborn streak kicked in to high gear as I sat there looking only at the table until finally the door opened. “Suit yourself.”   The guards came in jerked me up. My heart was just thudding in my chest.

They walked me behind Ross as we moved deeper into the facility. Finally, we ended up in a strange laboratory. The guards shoved me into a glass room at the back. They stood back and the man with the button hit it causing the collar to go off. I tried to stay standing, but he just kept the current going until I final collapsed. After it had been on for a while, they turned it off and then…only then…did the men move to attach the restraints on my arms and legs to the wall behind me.

One of the guards handed Ross the collar control as they walked by. Ross just stood there waiting, as a man in a lab coat approached him. He was short and had a weasel looking face. His hair was dark and had a greasy sheen to it. His eyes were small but burned with that kind of fervor you always see in a zealot of some crazy cult.  _Perfect…a fricking mad scientist!_

“Secretary Ross…what  _have_  you brought me?” The man’s voice was creepy and sickly sweet as he looked me over like a prize cow. When I met his eyes, I felt completely exposed. A shiver flew down my spine. A feeling of dread built up inside as I saw that Ross was going to leave me here…alone…with this man.

“Dr. Bernstein. Yes, the subject…” I caught the smug look on Ross’s face as he glanced over at me. “- was recently arrested for being an unregistered enhanced person acting as a vigilante in New York City. He also assaulted several of my men during arrest. I need him tested for public safety and given your proclivity for studying deviants, I thought you would be the perfect person to ah…study him.” He grinned at the man and when they both turned to study me, there was open fear on my face.

“Oh, my! Yes indeed! I would love to have the chance to study a truly enhanced person. I didn’t get a chance to do so on Ms. Maximoff.” He said wistfully. “How much time do I have him for? How thoroughly can I  _study_  him?” He looked eagerly at Ross who clapped him on his back as they walked towards the door.

Ross handed him the button to the collar and the file which he was still holding. “Here’s all we know so far. I honestly don’t know how much time we have so I wouldn’t delay.” And with that I was suddenly left alone. This was insane! My heart was beating frantically in my throat.

How can this be happening? I tested my restraints but they didn’t move. I struggled hard, but nothing. Suddenly I felt sapped, no energy at all. My head got a little dizzy and I realized that I hadn’t had anything to eat or drink since lunch…yesterday.

Dr. Bernstein was focused on looking through the file as he slowly walked back towards me. He flipped through the pages and became agitated. “Boy…how did you come by your powers?” He looked at me sharply.

“Uh, I don’t know. It just started one day.” I mumbled as I tried to steady my nerves. No way was I going to give him any information on me.   Let him figure it all out on his own. But my high metabolism meant that I really needed to eat soon. And then suddenly I was really thirsty.

The man cursed, “Well, no matter. Let’s start with what we know, shall we?” He turned to the table behind him and laid down the file and picked up a tablet and a stopwatch. Moving over to the cell I was in, he started tapping away.

“Uhmm...Sir? Would it be possible to get something to eat…or drin- “?

He didn’t let me finish, as he continued his preparations. “No, I think not.” He snapped, “I don’t know how much time I have so I need to start right away. We shall begin with the easiest…testing your pain tolerance.” God…the clinical way he said it, my stomach dropped. This wasn’t going to be the kind of tests looking for my BMI or Oxygen absorption levels.

Before I could fully process what was happening, he had set the tablet to record and fiddled with the dial on the button that activated the collar. Then holding the stopwatch and the button in each hand, he pushed both buttons and simply said, “Begin.”


	24. Options...Options...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting the band back together...

Tony couldn’t stand the look in May’s eyes so he excused himself and went to his office. Sitting down at the desk he rubbed his face trying to stop the panic that was rising up in him.

He opened the drawer and stared at the cell phone sitting there.

_Now What?_

He had tried to call the number several times, but it always went to voice mail. Each time he had hung up angrily. If Steve couldn’t be bothered to answer his call, he was damn well not going to leave a message. It was like they were a broken-up couple…neither one willing to concede a point. Tony sighed…he took a calming breath and reached in to pick up the phone.

Under the phone was the letter Steve had sent.  _So, no matter what, I promise if you – if you need us. If you need me, I’ll be there._  Tony snorted. He promised and then he let his calls go to voice mail. He sat there looking at the phone for a bit and then…the thought of Peter flooded his mind.

That poor kid was probably sitting in some prison cell…god knows where, though Tony knew exactly where if he wanted to be honest with himself…scared and alone. Ross hated Stark so he would be sure to make Peter suffer as much as possible.

Frantically he dialed the number and listened to it ring. He had a brief moment where he thought the call would be picked up, but it was the click as it went over to voice mail.

This time, he left a message, “Steve…it’s me. I really could use your help. Please call me back as soon as you get this message.” He hung up feeling like he had accomplished nothing.

Somehow, he had this feeling that if Steve had answered, the whole problem would magically disappear. When he thought back, it was him making a big mess and then Steve coming in to fix it. Learning to put others first, Ultron, Sokovia…the Accords. Tony trying to solve all the world problems with new tech and Steve by doing the right thing…god he still wanted to punch the guy in the face!

But this…this was all his fault. He should have never recruited a kid, he should have made sure that Ross didn’t find out about Peter and he should have made it  _absolutely_  clear to Ross that he didn’t know where Steve and his merry band of outlaws were. Instead, he had taken a sick glee in making the man fume. Putting him on hold all the time, the knowing smiles…the vague answers that were the truth but made the man wonder.

_God, what was he thinking?_

The door to his office opened. Pepper’s beautiful face appeared. “Tony? Are you okay?”

Tony huffed to clear the lump in his throat. “Yeah, yeah…I’m good. I just needed to get something.” He quickly stood up and went over to her.

Pepper looked at him with large soft eyes filled with sympathy and sadness. “Tony, we will get him back, right? I know you can do it. Besides we can NOT let Ross get away with this.” There was a steely edge to her voice and suddenly Tony was filled with hope. Pepper had faith in him. She came over to put her arms around Tony and he let himself be held. God what would he do without her.

It was then he looked past her and saw May standing in the other room. She looked so lost and he could tell that she was dealing with just that situation. Straightening, he gave Pepper a quick kiss and moved back into the main room.

He held up the cell phone and announced, “The Calvary has been called.” Rhodes and Natasha looked puzzled, so he continued, “I have a phone that Steve left me."  He held up a finger towards May, "Doesn’t tell me where he is.” He rushed to say as she started to speak up. “Hopefully he will give me a call.  We could definitely use his help.”

As if on cue, the phone in his hand began ringing. He looked down at it and seeing Steve’s name, he took a deep breath and clicked it open to answer. “Hey Steve…long time no talk! You promised me if I ever needed you…you would be there.  Well Cap…I really, really need you right now-”

“All you ever have to do is ask.” The voice sounded strange and when Tony looked up he saw that everyone was staring at something behind him.

Quickly he looked over his shoulder and standing in the lobby were Steve, Clint, Sam and Wanda. Behind them was King T’Challa and that guy whose name he couldn’t remember. The silence in the room was only outmatched by the tension that filled it.

Happy stepped out from behind the group. “Uh, Tony…I figured you would want to see these guys?” His face showed the same blank expression as when May showed up a little while ago. Tony knew that he was doing this on purpose. The guy cared deeply about the kid too. He wouldn’t admit it or show it out of hand, but he had his ways of making sure that Tony knew.

Tony nodded, “Thanks Happy. Would you mind sticking around for a bit now? I don’t want any more strays getting into our private meeting.” He waved everyone into the main area. Natasha immediately went over to hug Steve, Clint and Wanda. Scott and T’Challa hung back until Steve urged them forward to join the group.

As the introductions made their way to May, she was unsurprisingly cold to the group – except for King T’Challa. He wasn’t a fugitive, so not responsible for what had happened to her nephew. And he was royalty.

Steve smiled at everyone but his body language was reserved.  He wanted to know why Tony had called. Tony didn’t relish telling Steve about Peter...he would not approve and Tony knew it.  But Peter needed help so, no time like the present…

He coughed to get everyone’s attention. “Sorry to break up the reunion party but we have a serious emergency and we could really use your help. I must admit I wasn’t expecting you to show up!"

Steve, in that infuriating good guy tone of his instantly replied, “But Tony…you said you needed us. How could we not?”

May was quickly losing patience with all the niceties, “Tony…please we need to- “, Pepper went over and put an arm around the woman before she collapsed.

Seeing this, Steve was all business, “What is going on?”

Tony sighed and quickly outlined the situation. Steve and his group listened with shocked expressions. “So, Ross has taken the kid and made it abundantly clear he will not be letting him go anytime soon unless he gets you all into custody.” When he finished, he ran his hand through his hair.

Wanda stood up then, "This man...Ross?  Is he...?" She turned to look at Steve who slowly nodded in confirmation.  Wanda gasped and her hand went to her throat.  She swallowed and softly spoke lost in her memories, "When we were his...prisoners, I was… he forced me to wear...a-a collar to control my powers.  If I used them, it would shock me unconscious.  He seemed to enjoy making me set it off." She shuddered and then hesitantly asked, "Peter has powers, no?"  She looked at Tony and May, who was openly crying now.

May angrily wiped her eyes, “Tony, you know that man is doing something awful to Peter…I just know it! Oh god, he is just a boy. He didn’t do anything to deserve any of this!  He just wanted to help people.  You-you have to find a way to get him away from these crazy people!” The stress was getting to May now.

May stalked over to the kitchen to get a drink to help calm herself. Tony was surprised when she reached for the bottle of scotch as she passed by the bar, but he wasn’t going to judge.

Steve’s face was stone. “Tony? A word…” He turned and moved towards the door to Tony’s office. Tony almost sheepishly followed.

As soon as the door closed, Steve spun around. “A kid? I was fighting a 14-year-old kid in Germany!” Tony held up a hand to stop him, but he continued, “How could you do that to me…to him? Tony, I could have killed him! And I’ve seen video of him since then. The Monument? The Ferry? The…the Air Plane!”

Tony let him rant. He didn’t really have any different thoughts. When he recruited Peter for the Germany mission, it never occurred to him that it was a bad or wrong idea to do so. Sure, the kid was young and annoying, but wrong for him to bring him in…not even a blip on the radar.

But after that incident with Gargan, he knew full well how foolish it had been. The only thing that saved him was the knowledge that Peter would have done exactly what he did even without the suit. Heck he did exactly that with the plane.

“I know, I know. You’re right, okay?  And yes, I should have known better. Germany was a mistake, but Steve...this kid is gifted and he is good…really good… at what he does. And he was doing this long before I met him.  I figured that it was better if I gave him some protection with the suit because he bluntly told me he would be Spider-Man with or without it.” Tony is rambling now and Steve’s face still in shock, “Okay yes, I messed up…again!  But now this kid is paying the price, because of me. And...I need your help…”

Steve looked a little sick. He put a hand to his head, it shook a little as he wiped away the hair that fell into his face. “No, that kid is suffering because of me. We have to fix this Tony. What’s your plan?”

Tony sighed heavily, “Truth be told… I don’t have one.  Well, not a good one.  Steve... I need your help.  Actually, I could use all your help.”  Tony motioned to the room behind him where the others were patiently waiting…all pretending not to be listening for signs of fighting bleeding from Tony’s office.  Steve nodded his understanding and they went back to join the group.

Upon Rhodes questioning look, Tony announced, “Attention everyone!  Rest assured, Cap has properly dressed me down for recruiting a minor into the Avengers. Which I might say,” he glanced pointedly at May and then Pepper as he continued, “was the third…or fourth… one I have had to date. So, before anyone else tries to have a go…it is official.  I fucked up! I should never have brought the kid into our world. And I damn well should have made  _sure_  he never made it onto Ross’s radar. I wish I could change it, but I can’t…”  His expression one of contrition but then it changed to one of pain and desperate hope.  “What I can do is find a way to get Peter out of whatever hellhole Ross has him in. “ He looked at each face in the room,  “Cap did it once...for each of you, so I'm…begging you.  Please.  Help me now.  Please help us… help May get Peter back.”  Tony was openly pleading now.

Wanda was the first to speak, “I for one agree to do this.  We can't let that poor child stay in that man's insane clutches.  What are our options?”

Tony felt on better ground now.  His confidence was coming back.  He was after all ‘the mechanic’…all he needed to do was think of a plan.  He could do that!  He pointed gratefully to Wanda, “Yes!  I’m glad you asked!  We need to figure out a way to break Peter out-”

May came and sat down on the couch with a glass in hand. "Yes, but can we do it and keep his identity a secret?"  She sounded dramatically calmer now.  Tony looked at her oddly and then quickly glanced at Wanda.  He could just detect a red glow to her fingers.  He looked her in the eye but the expression on the woman's face was unapologetic.  Clearly, she had done something to calm May and after a beat, Tony just let it be.  What was the harm really and May could use the emotional break? 

He decided to focus on the question. “Well, the most basic...we could break him out. I was thinking that Vision could do it. Uh...where is Vision?" He looked around the room and then directly at Wanda.

She blushed deeply under his gaze.  Steve took pity on her and stepped forward to answer Tony’s question.  "He is checking the perimeter to make sure we were not detected coming here."

Tony started.  He had completely forgotten that Ross probably had the compound on 24-hour surveillance.  "Yeah, that's… probably a good idea!"  Then he coughed and resumed talking, "Well, I was thinking Vison could easily phase into the prison, scramble their tech and bring the kid out.” There was a pause.

May sensed his hesitation, “But?”

Clint answered for him, “But that means he is now a fugitive…like us. We could take him with us, but he won’t be able to return home.  Not the best solution really.” He smiled sadly at May. “I haven’t seen my wife and kids for…months now…” his voice breaks a little and he grimaces as he looks away.  Scott, who was standing behind him, puts a hand on his shoulder, May looks up at him and sees the same pain in his eyes.

“Most of us have family that we can’t see again. But it’s so much harder when you have kids.   We are missing them growing up.” He just shakes his head and slumps onto the couch next to Clint. Sighing, he turns to Tony, “So what’s Option 2?”

“We turn ourselves in.” That came from Steve. He stood leaning against the island with a stern look on his face.

There was silence in the room.

May took a deep breath and stood up, “No…no you can’t do that.  You can't.” She turned and looked at each of the fugitives in turn. “Peter would never forgive me if I allowed someone else to suffer for him. We have to find another way.” She turned to Tony and he was amazed at the strength of this woman. It took everything she had to say no…he knew this because he was still struggling to agree with her.  But she was right, and he knew it.

He held her gaze for a moment and nodded in acknowledgement of her decision. “Agreed.”

Natasha turned to look at each of them. “But then what else can we do?”

Tony suddenly got an evil Grinch-like grin on his face, “We will have to fight dirty…just like he did.”


	25. Team Spider-Man Ain't too Shabby

It was late when MJ, Ned and Flash finally left the Parker’s apartment.

Ned and Flash had worked hard to repair the apartment door enough that it didn’t look damaged and could close and stay closed. They hoped that May would have a more permanent way to fix the door, but for now it would have to do. Unless someone tried it, the door to the apartment looked like it was just fine. The boys stood outside looking at it, obviously proud of their work.

Then, the kids rushed down the stairs to the car Flash’s dad had sent to pick them up. All were grateful when their parents agreed that they could go to Flash’s for the night. Given that it was a Friday, they didn’t have to worry about school the next day, and with the aborted attack on the school, their parents found it understanding that they might want to gossip about it with friends.

Even though it was extremely late by the time they got to Flash’s place, they were all too keyed up to sleep. As soon as they were left to their own devices, they went straight to Flash’s room to discuss again what happened.

MJ was the first to point out the fact that there were  _no_  people outside the apartment or the building when they were leaving. “There had to have been almost 20 military men in the apartment and not one person in the building was curious? No one called the police? The news didn’t hear about it?”

Ned pulled out his laptop and started searching to find out if there was any information on police websites…nothing. He used the password that Mr. Stark had given him on the down low to check Shield’s records as well. Again, nothing.

MJ flipped on the TV and was checking then news channels to see if there was any news about Peter being arrested, but here again, nothing. She checked the local news next. She searched social media on her phone for any news of a massive raid on a Queens apartment building resulting in the arrest a minor who had super powers. Most definitely a news worthy event, but she didn’t find anything.

Flash meanwhile was on his own laptop reading over the official Sokovia Accords again to see if there was anything that might help. The text was quite dry, but he saw one part that made him extremely concerned:

_Any enhanced individuals who use their powers to break the law (including those who take part in extralegal vigilante activities) or are otherwise deemed to be a threat to the safety of the general public, may be detained indefinitely without trial. If an enhanced individual violates the Accords, or obstructs the actions of those enforcing the Accords, they may likewise be arrested and detained indefinitely without trial._

The phrase “detained indefinitely without trial” seemed to leap off the page each time Flash saw it. He was genuinely worried for Peter now. “There is seriously… nothing about Peter being arrested? What is Ross up to then? And how did he avoid public attention to the raid?”

MJ saw a YouTube video about their school. She clicked it, “Oh, my god....” The boys both quickly came over to the screen as she clicked to replay the video and increased the volume.

“In other news, students at Midtown Academy, got the shock of their lives during a school assembly today. The school was the site of a brazen attack by armed gunmen. According to sources, it had been arranged by…” On the screen, video showing the two Avengers talking with police was switched to video showing the men who attacked the school being loaded into a police van. When the news anchor mentioned the Scorpion Gang, a picture appeared on the screen. It was the man they had all seen torturing Peter on that horrible video. “Mac Gargan, leader of the Scorpion Gang.   Luckily, Iron Man – “, MJ paused the video.

Gargan’s face stared back at the three. Flash took a step back, “Woah…”

MJ stood shaking her head. “Why would he set up an attack on a school?”

Ned slowly shook his head, “Maybe he sent them to get back at Peter? After all, he did wind up getting arrested again. And this time he isn’t getting out anytime soon.”

“That can’t be it. Remember, Mr. Stark told us that Gargan had his memory wiped. But they just said a ‘source says he arranged it’. How is that possible? He didn’t know who Peter was…something isn’t right. It’s too much of a coincidence that his gang ends up attacking the same school that Peter goes to?”

Flash nodded slowly as something else occurred to him, “And then the military comes to arrest Peter the same day? It’s almost like he was waiting for an excuse to take Peter. Remember when Peter saw him that one time when he was at the Avenger’s compound? He said the guy gave him the creeps.” He moved to stand behind MJ as she watched other footage from the news station on the story. “If you ask me, I think this guy Ross set the whole thing up.” His face darkened. “But why?”

Ned sat back in his chair, “And he wanted to keep it quiet too.” He spread his hands in front of his screen. “There is nothing about Peter or any unregistered enhanced person being arrested. Nothing. It’s like he doesn’t want anyone to know. What if he wants to do secret government experiments on him? Like Wolverine?   Or-”

MJ suddenly stood up.  “And why did he come personally to arrest Peter? He’s the Secretary of the State…I’m sure there are people for that type of thing. This felt personal-“.  Suddenly she looked pale as a ghost, “Flash, where’s your bathroom?” She rushed off as soon as he pointed her the way.

Ned looked at Flash, his expression mirroring his own. This was not good. Ned went looking for his phone. He needed to call Happy. If they thought that Peter’s arrest was on the up and up, they needed to know this. There was a good chance that Ross was not playing fair and that didn’t mean good thigs for their friend.

\---------

MJ quickly closed the bathroom door and stood for a few seconds splashing cool water on her face. Her stomach was doing backflips and she needed to calm down.

_Not again! This can’t be happening to Peter again._

She had read up on Ross after Peter had told him about his encounter. The man was obsessed. He wanted every enhanced person rounded up and taken into custody. He had never recovered from not taking in the Hulk and his experiments were the ones that created him in the first place.

MJ was sure that Ross had it in for Stark. Stark had let Dr. Banner join his team and then he and Stark had been responsible for Ultron. And now Stark had refused to give up any information on his friend Captain America and the Winter Soldier. MJ didn’t know the whole story, but from all the news clips she had seen of Ross, he looked like the kind of person that would have no problem doing experiments on a minor.

He was wrong, but he thought he was right and that made him extremely dangerous. Especially for those that denied him what he wanted.

This just wasn’t fair. Peter had already been through the wringer with Gargan and his crazy revenge plot. To have to deal with another one from Ross who was probably just using Peter to get back at Stark. It was just not fair!

Her feelings for Peter over the past few months were becoming stronger but also confusing for her. His dorky humility drew her to him when she first met him, but when she finally found out that he was the real deal – an actual super hero, well, a girl’s heart can only take so much! She knew – as hard as she tried not to - she was falling for him. She chided herself…how could she not? He brought out the best in her and in Ned and lately…Flash.

And right now, it was this feeling of helplessness while someone she cared about was in trouble that was making her insane. She wanted to  _do_ something to help but all she could think about was seeing how much pain he had been in when Gargan was torturing him for information. God what if it was happening again? Peter’s psyche might not be able to handle that and if they broke him, she didn’t know if her’s would be able to survive either.

Shaking herself, she stood up, straightened her shoulders and glared at herself in the mirror.  _You have got to get it together girl! Peter needs you._

And with that, she went to join the others.

Hopefully they had a plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to give some more time for Spidey's friends to show their stuff!


	26. What to do now?

The team had worked through the night trying to find out where Peter had been taken. Steve and T’Challa had scanned all the security cameras in the area around Peter’s apartment, but the van that they loaded him in quickly disappeared – clearly not by accident either.

May had paced the whole night waiting for some shred of information on her nephew. Clint and Scott had done searches on the internet to see if there was anything on Peter.

Tony let them all do things that made them feel like they were helping. But Friday had already searched the entire internet and every security camera on the east coast but found nothing. Why was there no information on Peter’s arrest?

Vision had gone out to see if he could sneak into any of the local prisons or security facilities to see if Peter had been kept local. But he found nothing…again.

It was looking more and more like they were going to have to go through Ross to get to the kid. Tony bet the bastard was counting on it.

Tony started thinking of ways of just breaking the kid out…screw the legal system.

In his frustration, Tony had latched onto the grand idea that when they found Peter, they break him out and then nuke the facility from space…

And while the idea of destroying a base of Ross’s was satisfying for May, it didn’t really help. She looked over at Clint and Scott. They couldn’t see their family. She didn’t want this for Peter. And while she understood Tony’s frustration, May was still hopeful that they might find a way for Peter to get his life back…even after all this.

While they were talking, Happy’s phone rang. He moved away to answer it, which was unusual so it must have been important. He had been hovering near May the whole night and Tony could tell he was miserable. With nothing to do to help, really, he hadn’t hesitated to bring May here or let Steve and he crew through Tony’s security. Anything that might help Peter. Now he hunched over as he spoke in the phone.

Straightening up he looked over and met his boss’s eyes. His expression was pleading, “Uh, Tony? It’s Peter’s friends. They wanted to see if there was any news?” At Tony’s nod, Happy updated the kids.  Listening again, he turned back, “They said they have been doing some research on their end. Do you want to hear?”

May gave a soft smile as she touched Tony’s arm to prevent him saying a sharp ‘No!’. “Tony, they are his friends, they care about him. And they are pretty smart, don’t underestimate them. Let’s hear what they have…”

Tony looked up in askance to the sky and then sighing, nodded again. “Okay, give us what you got!”

Happy had already put them on speaker. After they outlined what they had found, Tony had to admit he was impressed. With little high-tech info, they had indeed come up with much of the same information that his team had. “Good work guys- “.

Ned spoke up urgently, “The thing is, if Ross doesn’t want anyone to know he took Peter…what does that mean? And…and he came to get him personally. This doesn’t sound like how a real raid would go down. I can’t help but wonder…does he have him at a special facility? Did he really have a warrant to take him? Maybe we could just rescue Peter and this Ross wouldn’t be able to say…uh say anything?”

The last perked everyone’s ears up. “Okay, guys, you gave us an idea. We need to get back to work on this…”

“Uh, Mr. Stark, could we maybe- “.  MJ’s normally strong voice was a little hesitant.

May looked again at Tony and he answered her before she had to ask. He looked at Happy as he spoke, “Yes…yes you can come. I am sending Happy over with a car. But you need to be ready to leave as soon as he gets there. You’ve got 15 minutes!” Happy had already turned to head out the door.

A chorus of ‘Yes!’” came out of the speaker, “Thank you Mr. Stark. We will be ready!” The line disconnected.

“So now what?” Natasha was squirming in her chair. Tony could tell the inaction was getting to her.

“Now, we need to see if Ross is indeed operating without a license.” He pointed to Natasha as he turned to Rhodes, “You two, can you check to see if there is any information - official “, he looked at Natasha, “or not - on what Ross is up to? And is there any way to find out where he is holding Peter?”

“On it” both said at the same time as the moved out of the room.

He turned to the others. “I know it’s been a long night.” As she spoke a ray of sunshine actually hit him in the face as the sun rose high enough to flood into the room. “We all really need rest…come back at this problem with fresh eyes.”

The others just sat around so Stark clapped his hands, “Seriously, guys…let’s take a break. At least until the kids get here. We can regroup then and get a plan in place then.”

He went to stand by Peter’s Aunt, “I know that you don’t want to and it is frustrating to not be doing anything, but you are not doing him any good like this. Go, get some rest too.”

May reluctantly nodded. Pepper came up and offered to show her to a room where she could get some peace and quiet.

As everyone began getting up and moving, Tony approached T’Challa. “I'm sure you have better things to be doing than searching security cameras...like a country to run, for one. If you need to go, they will be safe here, I promise.”

The Wakandan looked over at Steve. At his slight nod, T’Challa turned back to the multimillionaire playboy and bowed. “Thank you for your kind hospitality. And thank you for taking care of my friends. You are right - I really should get back to matters of the state, however I will keep an ear out for any news on your missing young colleague. If I hear anything I will let you know. And if you need my help, please...do not hesitate to ask!”

Tony nodded and watched as the monarch went over to say his goodbyes. Tony watched how easy he was with Steve and the rest. God, he wished he could do the same. But he was still angry with the man for choosing to not sign the Accords, for choosing Bucky over him and forcing him lie to the authorities. He logically understood Steve's actions but emotionally, he just wasn't there yet...and he wasn't sure he would ever get there. Bucky had killed his parents. The pleas from his mom sprang into his mind as Bucky had choked the life out of her...yeah, he wasn’t going to get over that anytime soon. But now Ross was making him pay for not turning them in...by hurting another person that was important to his life. And Peter didn't have time to wait for him to recover from his broken psyche, so he would just swallow his feelings and get to work trying to get Peter back to May and his friends...and to him.

Tony sighed. He was finally able to admit to himself that he cared for the kid. Over the past few months, the brat had easily wormed his way into the older man’s heart and while it was still scary to admit it, he cared for him. But not being able to protect the boy now, was even scarier. Oddly he found he missed the constant chatter of the boy and the unlimited energy and exuberance over each new piece of tech that Tony showed him. It gave him a thrill to work with him in the lab and an honest feeling of satisfaction that the kid looked up to him. He didn't want to let him down. Pepper had noticed the change too. She commented a lot about how much Tony thrived on Peter's attention. His response was always denial, but they both knew she was right.

But more than that, Peter was a good person.  He would always try to do the right thing, even if it wasn't easy and especially if it was hard.  In that way, he reminded him of Steve, but Peter could never be as boring as Captain Cardboard!  Sighing he brought his thoughts back to the situation at hand.

Pepper came back into the room.  "Physician...take your own medicine..."  She smiled at him and snuck her way into his arms.  He sighed and flopped down onto the couch with her.  She leaned her head back and looked in his eyes.  "May fell asleep almost as soon as she laid on the bed.  She has been running on fumes for hours now.  How about you?"

He smiled down at her and gave her a squeeze.  "I'll sleep when this is all over.  But we can definitely relax for a few.  Any chance of getting some food while we wait?  Refuel the old tan-".  His smile was genuine when Pepper got up to pull him towards the kitchen.  Already on the counter was a spread of food.  Smelling the fresh fruit, several others came to get some food as well.  "You are way too good to me!" 

She smiled as she bit into a sandwich, "I know..."

They took their food back to the couch where Tony tried to relax and enjoy Pepper's warmth next to him and the good food she provided.  But as soon as he did, he couldn't help but think of what Peter might be going through right now.  He had been with Ross's goons since last night.  Were they taking care of him?  Or were they making him suffer.  Tony's mind flashed to that horrible tape.  Why had Ross involved Gargan in all this?  Was it a message?  Was he going to hurt Peter like that crazy man had? 

The food turned to ash in his mouth.  He shut his eyes and tried to relax, but soon it was apparent that wasn't going to happen.  Giving Pepper a kiss, he stood up and went back to his computer to continue trying to come up with a way to save Peter. 

He would find a way to get him home...where he belonged.  And if he had to go through Ross...literally...well that was a price he was willing for Ross to pay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter - trying to get everyone on the same page...


	27. Hey...a True Mad Scientist....greeeeat.....

I had no idea how long I had been subjected to the sadistic tests for this man. It was obvious that he was insane and his tests made no sense. The first one was bad, he seemed to enjoy making my body spasm uncontrollably while the restraints prevented me from moving. Apparently, this collar could only be used on enhanced people…anyone else would be killed outright…

_Yay…lucky me?_

That went on for god knows how long. Originally, I was so relieved when he finally put the device down and started making notes in his records.  The pain from the collar was horrible and I couldn't get away from it.  It seemed like it was designed to cause every nerve in my body to explode with pain - all at the same time.  After he finally stopped, I could only hang there as I struggled to breath, but my throat was sore from all my yelling and I was seriously weak now.  I knew that I was malnourished now...I hadn't eaten or drunk anything for way too long and my heightened metabolism was really working against me now.

Apparently the next test was about my tolerance to substances inside my body.  Speaking to himself, he muttered about dosage and side effects.   _Great!_  I shuddered as he brought in a tray table full of syringes. My eyes must have been as huge as saucers now. He noticed and seemed to try and want to reassure me, “Oh don’t worry, none of these can kill you. They will just make you feel really sick. I need to see how you react to each one. Now you should really hold still for this next bit.”

He pulled an IV stand over to me and proceeded to put an IV line into my arm.  Then came the drugs as he proceeded to inject the syringes...one after another into the line. As he put each one in, he would note the name of the drug in his book and then watch to see how I would react. Noting the symptoms that presented and then tracked how long before I recovered. Each time seemed like it lasted forever.

But he was excited, “You are processing these drugs at an incredible rate! This is amazing! Your metabolism must be off the chart!” He scribbled again and then he got excited again, “How does this affect your powers?  Does it make your powers stronger?  Or is it a power in of itself?  Are there any down sides?”

He looked at me with shining eyes but I only glared back at him. “You have got to be kidding me. I'm not telling you anything!” I clamp my mouth shut then and my jaw clenches with effort not to curse at him some more.

His face actually fell. He seemed disappointed that his victim wasn’t cooperating with his torture! “Fine, be that way. I figure it out myself.” He pouted and then he viciously yanked the IV line out of my arm. He angrily gathered all his materials from this latest “test” and stomped out of the cell.

I closed my eyes and tried to take comfort in this small respite, but then I noticed that something was dripping down my arm. When I glanced at it, I saw a small trickle of blood. He must have cut my skin when he was yanking out the needle, but luckily, my healing factor was still working and the cut was quickly healing over. I was just thinking how lucky it was that I had that if I was going to survive this government sanctioned insanity when I heard his voice just outside my cell.

“Where did that blood come from!” He came quickly back into the cell to examine my arm. “Now, that’s very interesting…” Again, with that cold and clinical tone of voice…it sent shivers down my spine...again.

Suddenly I felt a sharp prick on my wrist. Looking over I could see he had made a small cut on my arm with a scalpel. Then he stood there examining it and his eyes widened as he saw it actually start to heal.   I had to admit, it was something to see. I had watched one time where a small cut I had gotten had actually healed right before my eyes.   But now…I wasn’t excited, I was really scared. He watched it and when it was healed, he cut my arm again.

_Damn…damn…damn…_

He looked into my face eagerly, “So you have an increased healing factor too?  Now, that’s something worth testing.” He practically skipped out of the cell.

I never thought I would ever wish I was back in that horrible situation with Gargan, but this…this was so much worse. This was apparently legal. And no one knew where I was. At least with Gargan, I stood a chance of getting away.

Here…I could tell that Ross was not interested in letting me go. And with this crazy man, shocking me, pumping me full of drugs…cutting me I couldn’t see any way that they would ever want me to see the light of day again.

My spirit broke in that moment.  I never got the chance to say goodbye to May.  I never told MJ how I felt.  I never thanked Mr. Stark for being the father figure I so desperately needed.  I never got to finish the Star Destroyer Lego set with Ned...

I choked back a sob as I am left with nothing to do but imagine what was to come. 

As the realization that this was going to be another 'session with knives' - I begin to check out. My body starts to shake uncontrollably and I can feel myself start to lose consciousness. Between this, the memories of previous torture and my continued lack of food or water, it’s only a matter of time before I would pass out.

Since I have no desire to be here for all this – I am most grateful when blackness begins to darken my vision.

“No, no, no…. I need you awake for this!”

_F- you man…you really don’t!_

Thankfully the darkness quickly claims me then...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys...another horrible chapter...sorry!


	28. Cross..Double Cross?

Everyone had a chance to rest and recharge. When they all gathered back in the main conference room, Tony was ready with a plan. He had thought long and hard and if the information that Natasha had brought him was correct, he had a feeling this would be the best option.

Once everyone was settled down, he outlined the plan.

“So, what do you all think? Will it work?” Tony spoke with hesitation, unsure of himself for once. He glanced around the room.

“It might…” Wanda spoke up looking over at Vison. “But…are you sure you want to do this?”

Everyone in the room glanced over to Steve. If he was open to Tony’s idea, then it was a go. Steve had been leaning against the pillar. He looked up to see that everyone was watching him. Sighing, he straightened up, “I don’t like it. But I think it I a good way to accomplish what we want with minimal collateral damage.” He nodded towards Tony who clapped his hands together.

“Yes! Okay, let’s go get my…er…our boy back!” He was grinning as he moved over to Wanda.   Pausing, he gently squeezed her shoulder. He softly spoke to just her, “Thank you. I know this is a lot to ask.” She smiled weakly at him as he winked at her as he turned away to see a form phasing through the giant window and floating down towards where they were all sitting. “Vision! Please tell me you found something…anything....”

The android floated down to stand next to Wanda who leaned into his chest as his arm went automatically around the woman. His expression was one of sadness. “I am sorry. I could not find anything. The one thing I can say is that our Peter is not at any of the facilities that we know about. It does reduce the places that we can look, so hopefully that will be of some use?”

Stark grimaced at the news but nodded in agreement with Vison – trying to take a positive view on it as well. “Well that seals it. I think we can all safely assume that the intel that Natasha ‘obtained’ is accurate.”  He swung around to face the group. “Let’s not waste any more time. I don’t want Peter in that man’s custody a second longer than necessary.”

Everyone got up and moved out to put the plan in motion. Peter’s friends and May all came up to Stark as a group. May spoke for them all, but the kids faces all plainly showed they wanted to help, “And what can we do? How can we help?”

Tony gave her a soft smile, “You all need to be here for when we get back. He is going to need your support. This is the second time he has been captured and I want to say he was on the road to recovery, but we don’t know what we are going to find _when_ we get him. So hang tough here and we will let you know the second we have him. Deal?”

They all nodded resigned to being left behind. But no one protested, for which Tony was grateful. He turned as Pepper came up beside him. “Pepper, great! Can you please get our guests settled in? I don’t know how long we will be, so for now, can you make sure they are all taken care of?” Pepper nodded and motioned for the group to follow her towards the more comfortable spaces in the compound.

Tony lost no time and as soon as they were out of the door, he turned to join Rhodes and the rest of the team on the plane heading out.

Once he was onboard, they took off towards the coordinates that Natasha had provided. He looked around at the team and gave a warm smile. “Thank you all for helping!”

And with that Tony made the call to begin their plan.

 

\---------------------

Ross stood in his office pouring over reports that showed all the missed opportunities to capture the rogue Avengers - Captain America and his merry band of outlaws. _Gah!_ It had been so frustrating. For almost 6 months they had been trying to bring them in and in all that time - nothing. Hints of the team in South America, a blurry picture of Clint Barton and Scott Lang in Cypress. They seemed to be hopping all over the world. His secret special ops team always just one step behind.

…and then there was Stark. From the beginning, Ross _knew_ he had to be in contact with Steve Rogers, he just couldn’t prove it. They had bugged his house, his compound was under constant surveillance and Stark’s every move was tracked. But they found nothing.

Ross’s mission to bring in the Winter Soldier was starting to look like a farce and people were talking.   About his continued failure to enforce the Sokovia Accords made it louder every day. Ross’s jaw clenched as he thought about how much a fool he was looking the longer the rogue Avengers evaded capture.

But then it happened. He finally caught a break.

Once again, he had come to Stark for information. The meeting progressed as all the others including Stark’s smug voice and the same old song and dance routine about knowing nothing about Rogers’s whereabouts. Bored, he had glanced up at a movement out of the corner of his eye and seen a kid watching the meeting. Ross studied him. He saw that it was the same kid that showed up quite a bit on Tony’s surveillance files. Curious, he asked Tony who he was. When he saw the flash of fear in Tony’s face, he knew he had a lead.

Following up over the next few weeks, he looked through all the footage they had and he was right. The kid kept showing up. Looking up information on the boy, he got the name Peter Parker. Another search showed recent international travel…to Germany. And around the same time as that ridiculous fight had taken place. He knew he should have pushed to have all of them arrested after that fiasco, but Tony had too many connections plus Stark and Rhodes had signed the accords. So, they went free but Ross was convinced that Stark had somehow helped Rogers break out the rest of his team.

When he was looking at the pictures they had gotten of the fight again, he noticed a masked figure that he didn’t know. Further searching showed it was the same masked vigilante that started showing up in New York using the name Spider-Man. He had somehow avoided arrest, and then something clicked when he saw pictures of the Ferry incident. Iron Man was working with him...interesting.

And the kid Peter was spending a lot of time with Stark too. Ross began wondering if perhaps the Peter might be connected to Spider-Man in some way. Spider-Man seemed to show up a lot when there was a disaster in New York and more often than not, it seemed to have something to do with Stark. Like the Ferry…Stark’s Plane…

Ross decided to see if he could smoke out Spider-Man but ever since that meeting with Stark, it seemed like the masked vigilante had disappeared. So he decided to see if he could bring out Spider-Man if there was some danger to the kid. In a stroke of brilliance, Ross went looking for a reason. He found that one of the gang member, Mac Gargan, that was arrested on the Ferry had disappeared in police custody. So he concocted a story that he had his gang attack the school looking for Spider-Man.

Ross had been immensely surprised when it worked! He was even more shocked when the drone that he had sent to cover the school gave him the perfect shot of Peter Parker swinging out of the school onto the roof and then quickly change out of the costume. Ross had actually laughed out loud, “I got you Stark!”

Quickly he had called in the team and contacted his secret facility to be ready. Then they headed over to the boys house. They had taken precautions, made sure to drug all the other units in the building so no one would notice the raid. He couldn’t resist going to see the arrest. When he saw how strong and nimble the boy was, he quickly gained control by threatening the boy’s Aunt. Luckily it all went well from that point onward. Parker stopped fighting and went into the van of his own free will. Ross had been worried, but when the van doors shut, he breathed a sigh of relief.

On the way, his phone rang…looking at the id, Ross had smiled – Stark. He let it go to voice mail. Let the man sweat a bit for once. God he wished he could see the look on the man’s face.

When they got to the base, he had watched as they had removed Parker, uncurious and with a collar on him. Once they chained him in the interrogation room, he waited until the kid woke up. He didn’t expect cooperation, but he was impressed with how the kid had started out scared but in the end he was trying to stare Ross down. He was more impressed when the kid actually broke the cuffs on him.

He gave him a night in a cell to think about his situation, but the kid didn’t have any different attitude the next day. Ross wasn’t too disappointed thought because he honestly really wanted to do some testing on this kid.

He had Parker taken down to Dr. Bernstein, who was sure to do some intense testing of the kids powers, strengths and weaknesses.   Of course, the man’s methods were not legal and probably not very pleasant, so Ross was quick to head out before he got started.

Back up in his office, he had sorted through his records and sat through a few more calls from Stark. His spirits were quite high each time Tony called and he ignored the man. He knew that he must be going insane. Finally, he decided that he would see what he had to say, so the next call he answered.

“Stark! How are you? Ready to tell me where Rogers is?”

“Ross…was kind of hoping you had some information for me. I was told that you arrested a young intern of mine. His Aunt is quite beside herself not knowing where he is.”

“Well, Stark, as you no doubt already know, he is an unregistered enhanced individual. The Accords…which you and Rhodes signed, allow the arrest. It’s all perfectly legal.”

Stark dropped all pretense, “Okay Ross…the boy is just a kid. He isn’t a danger to anyone-“

Ross clucked his tongue interrupting Stark, “Not really the point Stark. Accords don’t have any language about age. Nice try…” He waited…and then Stark finally asked. Ross knew he had won then.

“What do you want, Ross.” The voice over the phone was defeated.

Ross smiled widely. “I want what I have been asking you for the past 6 months…where is Rogers? Where is Bucky Barnes? Where are the people he broke out of the Raft? Until I get all of them back in the Raft, the Spider-Man vigilante will remain in my custody. Am I clear?”

There wasn’t an answer for a few minutes, “Crystal. So, what do we do now? I don’t want to drag this out any longer for the boy.” Tony sounded completely broken and Ross was ecstatic. “Tell me where you are and I’ll come right over.”

“No, I think not. I’ll come to the compound.”

“Fine, bring the boy and I will tell you everything I know.”

“Oh, no Stark. You will tell me everything you know and when I have them all in custody…then and only then will I let the boy go.” He smirked into the phone, “Unless that doesn’t work for you? In which case, you can tell that Aunt to forget all about her nephew, because he is going to be in prison for the rest of his life. And I have people doing tests on Mr. Parker. So, the longer you make me wait, the longer he is going to have to suffer. I wouldn’t take too much longer if I were you. Some of the tests can be quite…uncomfortable.”

“You bastard! Okay fine. Come alone. Come now…let’s get this over with.” The phone went dead.

Ross quickly gathered his files and headed out to catch a plane to the Avenger’s compound. He loved this new feeling like he had the upper hand with Stark. Finally!


	29. Ross Loves to Rub it In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay guys! Am trying to figure out some plot points and am wondering if the Ant Man and Wasp movie will affect my story choices. But I'll post this anyway. Hopefully this isn't too much of a cliff hanger? Keep me motivated to keep going!!!

Ross watched as the helicopter approached the pad at Stark’s special compound.

As it landed, he nodded to the pilot, then he and his guards jumped out and headed towards the figure waiting by the stairs. He quickly realized it wasn’t Stark as he expected, but his former assistant…now his fiancé.   _Pepper Potts_  - the name suddenly came to him. He was slightly insulted that Stark hadn’t met him but sent a lesser to welcome him, so his face was hard when he reached the woman. Her face matched his own.

She smiled tightly at him and turned sharply to lead the group into the compound. As they moved through the compound, she didn’t speak to Ross, which suited him just fine. He glanced over at her as they walked and the hard line of her clenched jaw made him realize she was upset and probably at him. He could guess...she blamed him for the recent problems with Stark. He mentally shrugged, it wasn’t his job to make her happy.

They turned the corner to the conference area and she pulled up short. She extended a hand towards the table as she turned to the group and curtly asked if they needed anything.

The two guards said nothing and just stood at attention as Ross moved forward into the area, looking around.

“Well, Stark would be nice. I mean, I came all this way at his request. I must say I am surprised he isn’t here, I didn’t expect he would want to draw this out any longer than necessary.” He looked over his glasses at her as he walked past the woman, all the way over to the table and put down his briefcase.

“Yes, well Tony is working as quickly as he can to get the information you requested. He will be with you very soon. Are you sure you or your men do not want any refreshments while you wait?”

Ross curtly shook his head not bothering to look back at his men or at Pepper standing by his side. His attention remained focused on the pulled a file out of the case.

Pepper bristled at his rudeness, “Well then, if you will excuse me.” and without waiting for a reply, she promptly turned and walked away. As she went passed the guards, they followed her out, giving Ross some privacy while he waited.

Ross shook his head as he listened to her heels click away down the hall. He never understood civilians who always wanted to bring emotion into matters of national security. No matter, as soon as Stark gave him the information on Rogers and the others, then this whole messy affair would be over.

He had pulled out the file on Parker when he heard a sound behind him. When he glanced around, he saw a woman walking over to the kitchen area. She hadn't’ seen him and was getting a glass of water. She had just raised the glass to her lips as she turned around and saw Ross. They both recognized each other.

Ross’s reaction was to mentally sigh. Of course, it would be Parker’s Aunt. He glanced down at the file in front of him and saw the name, May.

_Perfect._

May on the other hand quickly tried to cover her shock at seeing the man. She lowered the glass and stood looking at the man who had taken her nephew. She seemed to make a decision and then setting the glass down a bit too hard, she marched over to the man.

He knew what was coming. He lifted a hand towards his guards, who had suddenly appeared ready to take the woman down, to let them know they could stand down and return to their look out posts. That it was okay for the woman to approach him. She gave the men a wide berth but didn’t hesitate to come straight up to Ross.

As she stood in front of the man, he could almost feel the waves of anger flowing off of her. “Secretary Ross…” she spit his name out. “You took...no…you kidnapped my nephew. You broke into our home, threatened me with a gun and arrested him without even giving a reason. He hadn’t done anyth- “, but he quickly cut her off.

“Mrs. Parker, please. This is not true and you know this.  _Your nephew_  - was an unregistered enhanced individual and the law is very clear. Anyone who does not sign the Sokovia Accords but still chooses to be a vigilante is eligible for immediate arrest. Since Peter Parker has  _not_  signed, he has broken the law the moment he put on that ridiculous costume and declared himself a crime fighter.” He pointedly looked at her as she fumed.

“He was just trying to help people. He-he is just a kid…a minor! How- “, she tried again and again he interrupted her.

“His age is not the issue here, Mrs. Parker. Anyone, regardless of age, who doesn’t sign but tries to be a crime fighter will be arrested.” Ross said this mildly and with the righteous tone of someone who knows he is right. He was a man who always operated by the letter of the law. But he always loved it when he could use it to quell any emotional comebacks from the civilian community.

“And, to be clear, my job is the public safety of everyone in this country…not just your nephew. He could have signed the accords at any time, but he didn’t. And you didn’t get him to sign either, despite knowing what he was doing, so the blame falls on you too - as his guardian.”

May almost shook in anger. He knew he had hit a sore spot for her.

“But if you have a problem with anything that happened, then by all means, get a lawyer…take me to court. But I wouldn’t recommend it. Because you will lose.” His voice was condescending.

May fumed, her arms were crossed tightly as she tried to find something to say back to the man. Ross was so righteously smug. While he might technically have had the law on his side, they both knew that the only reason he went after Peter was due to his deep-seated animosity towards Tony and Steve.

And that animosity stemmed from the fact that both men had protected Bruce, a man who Ross had been chasing for years now. If it wasn’t for them, Banner might already be in custody. And he would finally be able to create a serum that would provide the U.S. Military the super soldiers that Ross was convinced they were due. Plus, the Hulk was a menace. He should be contained, not out free to cause damage to the public. If he had his way, all of these “Avengers” would be in jail right now.

But Tony had connections, so he was almost untouchable. Peter however, was not so lucky and Ross was not about to pass on the opportunity to put Stark in check and get some payback for all his previous interference.

Ross decided to be gracious to the woman, after all, he did hold a gun to her head. “Mrs. Parker, please know that this could be over instantly.  All I am asking for, is information on Steve Rogers and the other fugitives. As soon as I get it, your boy will be back home. He’ll be back to his old life before you know it. I promise.”

She snorted, “Please… How can he possibly go back to his old life? His identity has been compromised, by your team. He will never be able to have a normal life again.” Clearly, she felt the situation was already hopeless for Peter.

“No, that isn’t true. I made sure his arrest was as quiet as possible. And only myself and the doctor...testing him...know his secret. The soldiers I used have no idea he is Spider-Man, nor do they care. When this is all over, he can go back to being Peter Parker. You make up whatever cover story you like for his school and we will back it up. I did that as a favor to him…because he is a minor.”

He looked intently at the woman, “I am not the bad guy here, Mrs. Parker. If Stark would just stop being stubborn…if he would just cooperate with us…so we can arrest the dangerous fugitives, then all this will just…go away.”

May didn't miss the hesitation when the man mentioned testing.  Her stomach was flipping so badly and she felt helpless.  Her face must have showed her disbelief in his words because Ross tried to give her a reassuring smile, “I promise.”

“Oh well, when you put it that way, all is forgiven!” Ross turned to the voice behind him. Stark was standing by the table. The two guards both started and had their hands inside their jackets. “Whoa, there Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” Stark held his arms up in mock surrender. “I was invited to this little shindig.”

He proceeded to ignore them as he moved into the room and glanced over at Peter's Aunt. “May, I'm sorry.  But would you mind? Ross and I have a lot to discuss. As soon as we hear anything, I will let you know.”

May nodded as, still hugging herself, she quickly turned and left the area. Stark watched her go and as soon as she was out of sight, he turned to face Ross, “So…”

Ross eagerly looked for the sense of defeat in Tony’s expression. In his heart of hearts, he could admit how happy he was right now. He had got him. He got him at his own game. And now he could savor the victory because there wasn’t anything Tony could do or say – other than give him the location of the fugitives – that would make Ross change his mind about Peter Parker.

Seeing the resignation in the man's face, Ross eagerly soaked it in, “Ball is in your court Stark. What do you have?” He spoke almost happily as went over to join the man.

Stark looked at Ross and grimaced. “God, you are really enjoying this aren’t you? You think you’re the hero in this situation?  I mean seriously? Violently kidnapping a child? Subjecting him to tests? Scaring the poor kid…for what?”

“Please Stark, do get off your high horse. That child can bench press a Space Shuttle. And yes, I  _am_  in the right here. He is an undocumented enhanced human and he needs to be studied and we need to make sure that he isn’t a public safety risk.”

“Public safety risk? Bullshit.  You and I both know the only reason you decided to take him in was pure vengeance, pure and simple. Not such a noble a reason as you are trying to convince...who? Yourself?  The President?  Your staff?   Please…” He gave the man one of his patented looks of utter distain.

Ross was unfazed. “Well, I can’t deny that I am pleased that this seems to have the added bonus of making you suffer. Payback for all the times you did the same to me. Putting me on hold, refusing my calls…making me waste my time asking over and over for information on Rogers. You know you could have avoided all of this if you had just cooperated with me in the first place.”

Stark’s face changed to a furious expression, “Payback? Torturing a child to make me suffer? You are disgusting. You would destroy a young man’s life, just to get back at me? This boy has only tried to do good…help people, do the right thing but you don’t care.  And what is he supposed to do once this is all over?  How can you make this right with him?”

“As I told his Aunt, no one is aware that he is in custody. Once you give me the information – and we have taken all  _the fugitives_  into custody – he will be free to go.  There are no records on him.   Everything I have is right here."  He tapped the folder on the desk, " He can go back home to his old life and no one will be any the wiser. Of course, you might want to give him some time to recover. Dr. Bernstein does tend to get a bit overly enthusiastic with his testing on enhanced individuals plus he was so disappointed when his previous test subject, Ms. Maximoff, never made it to his lab.” Ross actually chuckled.

Stark's face turned blood red, “You bastard! What have you done to him?” He looked like he wanted nothing better than to jump over the desk and attack the man across from him.

Ross ate it up!  He rolled his eyes, “Please stop with the dramatics…the longer you drag this on, the longer it will take to get the boy home. So…stop with the justified rage…and give me what I have been  _repeatedly_  asking for.” Ross’s face took on a more intense expression as he dropped all pretense of being friendly to the billionaire. “At this point, you’re not just wasting my time. You are also extending the suffering of the young man.  I grow tired of asking...so this will be the last time I will ask.  Where are Steve Rogers and the other fugitives he broke out of jail?”

He looked pointedly at Stark and waited, relishing the pained look in the man’s eyes.

_Yup…payback’s a bitch, ain’t it?_

He watched eagerly as Stark punched something into the control on his wrist and the screen at the end of the table lit up. Stark gave a sigh, "Seriously?  You are actually going to quote Star Wars?"

Ross was so engrossed on the screen in front of him, that he didn’t answer.  He also didn't notice when Tony’s eyes moved to someone behind him.

Seeing what was on the screen, Ross immediately became incensed.  “What the hell is this Stark? What are you playing at?  This intel is over a year old. If you are playing me again, I swear to you, I will make that boy suffer within an inch of his life. He will never see the light of day again. I promise you!”

Ross was furious - yet again the man was playing games. If that was the way he wanted it, well two could play. 

But when he looked up at Stark, he was surprised to see, not an expression of panic or fear, but one of grim satisfaction.

Ross glanced behind and noticed his two guards were not here he expected to see them.

 _Oh shit-_  was all of the thought that his brain could produce before the red flames clouded his eyes and mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated...sorry needed to fix a few points to make the movie flow better


	30. Everyone has a plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is a quick chapter to confuse and entertain you? Comments, reviews, critics all are welcome....all welcome!
> 
> Sorry for the delay and updating of the story

The pilot, one Jenkins by name, watched as Secretary Ross and his guards hopped out of the chopper and made their way across the landing pad. Sighing, he turned back to the controls to finish the shutdown sequence. He had been told he might be here a while, so no sense in keeping the machine running.

With not much else to do, he did a quick diagnostic check, but that didn’t take up much time and soon he was again just sitting at the controls waiting. Bored, he pulled out a book he had been trying to finish. But soon the words on the page began to run together and his attention began to wander. Finally shutting the book, he looked down at his watch. 15 minutes! Only 15 minutes had passed. It seemed like hours!

His mind began to wander. He started thinking about what he was going to do when he got back to base. The air in the cabin was getting stuffy and the sun glaring down started to warm the space. He began to get sleepy.

It was probably because he was tired. He had been pushing himself pretty hard lately. The thought floated through his mind that he should maybe take a nap. After swallowing another yawn, he decided it was no use fighting it. He glanced at his watch, there was plenty of time for a quick power nap. They say that was always a good thing to do when you were like this.

Leaning back, he closed his eyes and-

\---------

-the next thing he knew, he was jolted awake as the door to the helicopter rattled open. Sitting up and frantically looking around, Jenkins saw with a start that Ross had returned. One of the guards was opening the door as the other help the Secretary into the helicopter.

Jenkins quickly sat up, rubbed his eyes and reached to start the helicopter engine.

The woman, who had initially greeted him, was standing outside the door frantically trying to speak to Ross as the man roundly ignored her. “Secretary Ross, don’t go yet. If you would just listen- “.

Ross ignored her and nodded when both other men were aboard. They shut the door in the woman’s face, cutting off her last words. When Ross turned to Jenkins, the expression on his face was of pure fury. “What are you waiting for? Get us in the air already…now!”

“Uh, sir…yes…sir. Sorry sir, I thought you were going to be a while…is everything okay?” Jenkins was trying to process what was going on. He was also trying to cover the fact that he had been caught sleeping by the Secretary of the State.

Ross grumbled, half to himself. “Yet again, Stark wasn’t serious when he asked me to come here. Which means we are done here. Much sooner than  _any_  of us expected I gather.”

Jenkins nodded. He had almost fully recovered, but his stress level went up again at Ross’s next words, “Now if you don’t want me to speak to your supervisor about sleeping while on duty…I suggest you get me back to base as quickly as you can. I have a lot of work to do.”

“Ye-ye-Yes sir!” Embarrassed to be called out on it and nervous about his supervisor finding out about it, he frantically completed his start up process to get the chopper up in the air.

As they lifted off, he glanced down to see the woman still stood there watching them. She had a phone to her ear and seemed to be frantically talking to someone. Things must have been pretty bad in that meeting. Ross usually was a pretty cool customer. Every other time he had come here, he had left empty handed, but never shown any emotion. This time, he looked like he might explode.

“Jenkins, how fast can you get back to base?”

He gave a quick glance at his gauges, “It should take about 20 minutes sir.”

“Okay.” Ross glanced at one of the guards and exchanged a look. “Here is what I want you to do. Tell them back at base to have Dr. Bernstein to meet me at the landing pad.” Ross turned to look directly at Jenkins, “And then I want you to get me there in 15.” His voice was back to its usual chillingly calm and that almost made it even worse.

As quickly as he could while legally not breaking the law, Jenkins flew the Secretary back to base.

\---------------

I wasn’t sure how long it had been since Dr. Bernstein had completed his last “test”. My mind was in a haze and I just wanted to go to sleep so I could get away from all this. The door opened to my cell and I quickly looked over to see the man walking into the room. I couldn’t help but shudder when I saw him.

_Now what?_

“Ah, Mr. Parker, we are awake I see. Good…good. I really wanted to do some testing on your lung capacity.” Everything about this man unnerved me. He treated everything he did as if it was as normal as baking a cake. The tone of his voice made it all the more horrific each time he started studying some aspect of me abilities.

“I thought you would have gotten some good data when you made me scream for over an hour.” I said this dryly…trying to keep my own spirits up with humor and snark. I kept going back and forth, up and down between hope and utter despair about my situation. I still couldn’t believe that I was here. Wherever here was. Plus, it was all strange, not at all what I expected a high security facility to be like. And I couldn’t help wondering - how could the government allows this wacko to do all this to me and still call it testing?

This all had to be either illegal or super top secret. I never saw anyone else in this lab but the crazy doctor. In point of fact, I hadn’t seen anyone other than Ross and a few guards since I came here…wherever here was. I was willing to bet that Ross had set up a secret lab so he could do testing just like this.  _Could there be other people here? Locked up like me?_  I hoped not. Because if that was the case, then there were much more problems for Rogers and his friends, if these guys got a hold of them

My thoughts scattered as the man came up and started attaching a new set of sensors to my chest. I glanced down and saw that there were still a few marks where the worst of the knife wounds were still healing. He touched one and I hissed. The area was still tender.

He glanced up at me and smiled. “My apologies, Mr. Parker. But hopefully you will be completely recovered by tomorrow. I have some interesting tests planned and they will need you to be fully recovered by then.” He continued what he was doing and when finished, he turned on the machine.

“Listen, Doc. I haven’t had anything to eat or drink since I got to this place.” My stomach backed up my statement with a huge growl. Desperate now for something to eat, I was willing to bargain, “If I don’t get something in me soon, I ain’t going to be much use to you.” I look at him hopefully.

Stepping back, he completely ignored me and proceeded to tap on his pad again. He glanced around the cell and then nodded. Walking back out, he let the glass door close. I looked at him quizzically, not sure what was going to happen. My heart beat started to quicken and my breathing began to become erratic as panic started to set in. The monitor next to me beeped alarms to match my feelings.

“Shhh, shhh. Please Mr. Parker, you need to calm down. I need to get a good base line reading.”

“Seriously? How do you expect me to do that? You are not listening. I am telling you I am starving and seriously dehydrated here. I need something to drink or I am going to  _die!_ ”

If I expected that to shock him, I was massively let down. The guy just shook his head. “My dear boy, stop being so melodramatic. Now stand still.”

I try again, “ _I can’t! I am losing control of my body…it’s what happens when you are severally dehydrated and starving!_ ” Jess, why won’t this guy listen!

Finally, he seems to focus on me. “Fine! Cooperate with this test and I will get you some sustenance.” The guy was unbelievable. You would think I had asked for bars of vibranium!

“Okay, but I mean, your tests are never…pleasant. What are you going to do?” My eyes are glued to the pad he has in his hand. As with almost every other test, when he clicks it, I am not going to be having a good time.

Almost distracted, he glances up, “I am going to be testing how you are able to tolerate oxygen deprivation.  Let’s begin, shall we?  The quicker we get through this, the quicker you can eat.” And without waiting for a response from me, he clicks the button. He steps forward then and eagerly watches me.

There is a hissing sound and I glance around the room. Quickly I notice the air is being sucked out of the cell. Frantically, I struggle against my restraints. Panicking I look around and try to find something to help me, but then there is no air and am gasping.

I can’t breathe and it is horrific. My lungs are screaming and I desperately look at the man holding the control to my life standing outside the door.

But he is just standing making notes on that damn clipboard. I desperately look at him hoping that he has a shred of decency and will make this stop. My lungs feel like they are going to explode and I am seeing black spots when I hear the hiss again and then mercifully I am able to catch my breath. I hang there taking deep breaths and almost savoring every bit of air that I get into my lungs.

“Interesting…” He is writing something down and then he turns back. “Let’s try that again.”

Numbly I am shaking my head, and then bracing myself but then by some miracle, his phone starts ringing and he stops. I am shaking with relief when he goes over to this desk and listens to someone on the other end.

I am not really listening as I try to get as much air into me as possible. “-ut I am right in the middle…well, can it wait? When? Okay…fine…I said  _Okay!_  I will be there.” He slams the phone down and returns to his usual spot outside my cell. “I have to leave. But I don’t want to waste my time with you, so let’s get this test started before I go.”

My eyes go wide as he hits the pad again and the air is again sucked out. Knowing what is going to happen makes it worse this time. And even though I know it is useless, I struggle mightily in my restraints.

When the air is gone and all I can do is gape like a fish as I suffocate, I glare at the man responsible. My frustration quickly turns to pure panic when I see him turn away and start to gather some papers.

_He isn’t going to leave me like this? Did he just get instructions to kill me?_

As if reading my thoughts, “Don’t worry Mr. Parker. This test won’t kill you. The program is designed to study how long before you lose consciousness without air and then reset. Once you have enough air to breath, it will analyze how long before you recover and then shut the air off again. Hopefully with enough cycles of this, I will get some good data to use.”

And then without another word, the man turns and leaves the lab. I am left in a blind panic. No reprieve is coming this time. And as the seconds pass by, I slowly begin to lose consciousness. I listen desperately for the hiss sound that means I will live.

But I hear nothing.


	31. Day in the Life...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I think I am back on track here. What do you think?

Bernstein was on edge as he walked down the hallway.

Great!  _Another distraction!_

When Ross recruited him for this project, this super- _secret_  project, he had been assured that he would be left alone to do his work. His way. None of the usual bureaucratic bullshit. He was only interested in finding the perfect serum to create a super soldier unlike any that had come before. And with the new Sokovia Accords, they now had the perfect way to acquire enhanced human needed to unlock the secrets was truly exciting.

But since he had come here, his lofty goals kept been hampered by lack of test subjects and then when he got one, she had been broken out of the Rack before Ross had been able to get her transferred to this location. When he had been called back, he was hoping that meant they were close to recapturing the woman but when he arrived, he found something quite different. He was presented with a new test subject. He didn’t have the same powers but not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, he quickly started testing.

The only issue was the interruptions. He was grateful that Ross had given him carte blanche to do what he wanted in his research, but every time he was called away to talk to Ross or explain his results, meant less time he could do his work.

He looked up as the elevator doors opened. Quickly moving towards the helipad, he tried to avoid looking at any of the soldiers working up here. No one questioned him or tried to engage, which was just the way he wanted it.

None of them knew about the lab that they had down on the lowest level. They all believed that this “secret” base was simply to handle housing dangerous enhanced individuals in a prison like facility. Let them continue to believe that. If the authorities ever found out what was really going on, it would end both his and Ross’s careers.

He approached the landing pad just as a helicopter landed. The scientist stood waiting impatiently as Ross finished speaking to the pilot and then finally jumped down out of the helicopter. Bernstein noted that the man seemed nimbler than he would expect from a man his age. But the thought flew out of his mind as Ross turned to make his way over to him…the two guards following behind.

Ross came up to stand in front of Rubenstein and quickly said, “So, the meeting with Stark was a failure. I need to know how you are coming along with…”, he glanced around to make sure no one was close, “your newest test subject.”

“Quite well, quite well indeed.”

“Show me.” Ross’s tone was stern as he held out his hand for Rubenstein to lead the way. “I want to know everything.”

Bernstein chatted away as the went down the elevator. “His recovery powers are truly amazing. His strength, stamina, and drug resistance are all off the charts. At the moment, I am testing his lung capacity. You don’t know how much it is helping not to worry about human rights violations. It makes this all so much more efficient and definitely we are getting results much quicker.

Ross nodded and then asked, “Can I see your data?” The elevator doors opened and Rubenstein rushed out eager to show his benefactor the bounty he had obtained.

Ross and his men followed at a more measured pace. They allowed the scientist to get to his office door first and then followed him in. The guards stood at attention just inside.

Rushing over to his computer, the man started typing away and pulling up tables and charts. His desk was covered with notebooks filled with his manic scribble. He was chattering away about how this data would allow him to create the perfect serum to create the army of super soldiers that Ross so desperately wanted.

While behind him, Ross watched with a pensive look on his face. He came over to the desk and put the briefcase he was carrying on the floor as he bent over to examine the slide that Bernstein was animatedly talking about.

Nodding, he stood up and then glanced around the space. “Is there any more? Do you have any more data that you collected?”

Bernstein looked a little crestfallen.  _Wasn’t this enough?_  He voiced this concern after reluctantly admitting that this was all he had.

Seeing his face, Ross quickly backtracked, “My apologies Doctor. I did not mean to suggest this wasn’t amazing information.” He gave the man a quick smile and a clap on his back. Then he turned and asked, “Where is the boy now?”

“Yes…well like I said before, I am in the middle of testing him…right now.”

“And? Can I see him?”

“Oh. Uh, well if you want to. But I know you don’t really like seeing my work, so if you would prefer to wait, it should be finished in half an hour. You could- “

“I thank you for your concern, but I would like to see him now.” He gave a tight smile and waited.

“Sure, sure…right this way.” Bernstein moved past Ross and then the guards, out into the hallway and opened the door across the hall.

The glass cell could be seen from the hallway and when everyone caught sight of what was happening in the cell, there was a slight sound from one of the guards. Bernstein and Ross both looked at the man who quickly ducked his head, “Sorry sir!” He then went to full attention and looked anywhere but at the two men in front of him.

Ross ignored the man and pushed his way into the lab. IN front of him, he stood as if mesmerized. The boy clearly wasn’t able to breath and he frantically was fighting the restraints, desperate to get out. Bernstein was quite impressed as he noted, “Amazing. He is simply amazing. The boy has managed to crack one of the cuffs on his arm.” He went over to the cell door and scribbled onto a pad in his hand.

Ross cleared his throat and moved over to the scientist. “What the hell are you doing to him?” His voice sounded a little forceful, but with his focus on Peter, Bernstein didn’t even notice.

Peter in the cell struggled and the panic and fear on his face would cause any sane person to stop this. But the scientist only cared for the data he was collecting off the boy’s suffering. Peter was mouthing the word “please” as he slowly suffocated in the cell.

Clueless, the man answered Ross’s question as if it was about what he had for lunch, “I am removing the air in his cell and testing how long it takes until he passes out. Then I am- “

“Okay, this has to stop…. like right now.”

Puzzled, Bernstein looked up. The voice wasn’t Ross’s and in fact was a woman’s voice. And it had come from one of the guards. “Wha…?”

Suddenly the three figures in front of him seemed to waver and then flicker away to be replaced by the last people he ever expected to see:

Captain America, Black Widow and Hawkeye.


	32. Break Out Soon...From the Other Side...

_One hour earlier…._

Wanda moved closer to Ross as the man slowly sank back into his chair. Once she was sure the man was under, she nodded to Tony.

He quickly joined her and called to the others to come in already. Steve, Sam, Scott and Clint walked in dragging the guards in behind them. Then Natasha arrived carrying a case that she held up to the group. As she entered, she confidently stepped over the prone bodies of the two guards that had, unceremoniously, been knocked out.

Tony glanced at Ross and the men, his expression one of hesitant surprise. “Well…that went…better than I expected, actually!”

Clint grimaced as he looked at Ross’s still figure, “Yeah, well now comes the hard part!”

“You think this was easy?” Wanda gave a tight smile as her fingers continued to give off streams of red energy.

“Well this is nothing compared to what you did to poor Vision…” Clint gave her a sly grin.

Tony coughed, “Don’t remind me!” He looked over to the floor where the faint outline of the hole that Wanda had made through the whole compound was still visible.

Shaking his head, Steve gave Clint a slight bump to his shoulder to tell him to knock it off. They didn’t need to bring up any bad memories right now. “Come on guys, we don’t know how long we can keep this whole charade up, so let’s get going.”

Before Ross’s call, the plan originally was just focused on finding out where Peter was. But once they knew that Ross was coming to the compound from that location, Tony proposed a new, more daring plan. Once they had Cap onboard, it was go time.

With Wanda using her power to manipulate minds, she had convinced the helicopter pilot to take a nap and then once Ross confirmed that all the intel on Peter was in the folder on the desk, Wanda quickly secured the targets.

The next bit was ingenious. Natasha had taken a quick trip out to visit Selwyn and came back with just what they needed. She went over to the table and set the case down.

Clicking it open she turned it to display what was inside - 3 photostatic veils nestled in the case along with the controls that would help them take on the identities of the unconscious people in the room.

Stark looked the tech over with greedy eyes. He turned to the box and started making adjustments, “Well, let’s not waste any more time- “

Sam who was looking over the men on the ground suddenly spoke up, “Uh, guys? We may have a problem…” He pointed to the two men on the floor.

Tony and Steve looked confused, “What?”

“Well this guy isn’t what I would consider…I mean he isn’t really the right…size.” He pointed to himself and then the man on the ground. It was true, the guy was much…much smaller in stature than Sam. “What do we do now?”

“Well, he is just a body guard, the important one is Ross. It’ll be fine…” Tony looked back to the screen.

Natasha sighed so loudly that everyone turned to look at her. “I’ll go…I’m about the right size, and if we are doing infiltration, sorry Sam, but I am better suited for the mission.“  She didn’t give anyone a chance to say anything but rather went over to the body and started taking off the jacket and pants.

Sam looked around to see if anyone else would argue with her. Clint gave him a look that said,  _your funeral_ , so he just kept his mouth shut and helped.

Once everyone had their new clothes on, Tony was ready with each of the veils. Wanda and Sam watched with amazement as each put on a veil and took on the appearance of Ross and his goons. It was scary how close they looked to the originals.

Then Scott snapped his helmet into place and pushed the button to shrink himself and they were ready to go. Tony snapped closed Ross’s mostly empty briefcase and handed it over to Steve. “Can’t forget this…Secretary… “

Steve gave a little flick of his hand to his head as he reached over and grabbed the case. Then he was heading out to catch up to Nat and Clint who were already in the hall. Everyone was eager to get this mission finished and have Peter back where he belonged.

\--------------------------

Tony had Pepper go out with them for the show of getting back on the chopper. The team were hoping that the disorientation of being a sleep and the embarrassment of being caught would distract the pilot enough that any discrepancies of mannerisms would be overlooked.

As the helicopter took off, everyone let out a sigh of relief. But there was no guarantee that it would all go according to plan, so Tony, Vision and Sam followed at a safe distance, prepared to provide backup if needed.

Once they got to the base, Cap had been a bit concerned because he didn’t actually know what the scientist holding Peter looked like. But as soon as he stepped of the helicopter, he saw the man approaching and, based on the creepy vibe the guy gave off, it was clear he was who they wanted. The man absolutely made his skin crawl!

Clint and Natasha looked around the place. Not too many guards, but enough to make a break out difficult and dangerous.  _But they would if they had to._ There was no way they were going to leave without Peter…that was a given. When they glanced at each other, the thought was clear to each of them. Working so many years together gave them almost a sixth sense about what the other was thinking. It would definitely come in handy here.

“Secretary...” Bernstein stood at attention as Steve and his entourage approached. Steve, nodded stiffly at the man. “You asked to see me?”

_Whelp…here we go…no turning back now._

Steve grimaced as he had seen Ross do on many occasions when he was angry. ““Yes, I just had the most unproductive meeting with Stark. He isn’t budging. So now, I need to know what you have learned about our  _guest_. There must be something that we can use to salvage this…situation.” He held out a hand to indicate the doctor should take the lead…which was necessary since they had no idea where to go from here.

Luckily, Bernstein seemed to have been starved for attention and was only too happy to share the information he had obtained on Peter and his abilities. He began to chatter almost immediately about the amazing abilities that he had discovered.

“…his tolerance to some of my drugs is nothing short of a miracle. I cannot wait to start synthesizing his blood, this is the break we have been waiting for. I can just  _feel_ it…” As they moved down the hallway, the scientist was so caught up in his chatter, he didn’t question why the two guards were still following Ross.

When he got to his office with all the research done on the young Parker, Steve let him tell him a bit more about his work. “Is this all your research?”

Bernstein stopped talking at the interruption. “Uh…yes?”

Seeing his puzzled look, Cap tried to cover, “Good, good, we may have to move locations soon and I want to make sure we can do it all in one go.” He clapped his hands together, “Well it is nice to hear about what you have learned, but if you don’t mind…I need to speak to the boy…”

As Cap asked to see the boy, he placed the case…which held one seriously miniaturized Avenger.

“Of course!” Bernstein quickly moved towards the door. As soon as they left the room, Scott sprang into action.  

If anyone had still been there they would have seen the case suddenly pop open and miniature man appear out of the case growing bigger and bigger until he was full sized. Scott attached a device to the computer that would copy all the files on it and then wipe the machine. While that happened, he went around the lab gathering any and all papers he could find and stuffing them into a mini box that he suddenly made normal sized. He worked quickly to have everything wiped out before the team got back.

He was almost done when he heard Natasha’s voice ring out over their communique. "Okay, this has got to stop…like right now.”

Crap! That wasn’t part of the plan! What should he do? He quickly finished packing up everything he could get his hands on and then miniaturizing and adding to the briefcase.

“What’s going on guys?”

Cap’s voice came back. “Stand by Scott. There’s been a slight change in plans.”

Scott started getting nervous…they were deep inside a super-secret government facility. And they were all the most wanted by Ross. As he had the thought, Scott quickly pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose.

They didn’t really think about that part to deeply, now did they? He sighed and then made peace with the situation. Besides, there wasn’t much they could do now, so he turned back to the task at hand and prayed that this would all work out.

\------------------------

Meanwhile…

As the group entered into the lab, they all couldn’t help but stop in surprise. In the cell right across from them was the kid they were all looking for. The elation they felt when they first saw him turned to horror as they got a good look at what was happening to him.

Clint let out a little gasp, and Natasha’s whole body trembled as she tried to contain her anger. Cap pushed past Bernstein, who had gone over to check the results on the machines, demanding to know what was happening to Peter. As the scientist yammered away about the test, Natasha had finally had enough.

She nodded to Clint and they quickly closed the lab doors as made her announcement which caught Bernstein by major surprise.

In a blink of an eye, Bernstein was suddenly looking down the barrel of a gun as Black Widow demanded, through gritted teeth, that he “open the goddamn cell door…now. Or I’ll put a bullet in your brain.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really sorry guys for the long delay! I am taking classes over the summer plus...well...life has gotten in the way. 
> 
> Also, I am feeling the end of the story is coming and it has me feeling a bit sad! 
> 
> Anyway, I know this is short, but hopefully its enough to keep you interested until I finish. I want to make sure I do this right and not rush it so if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know - because there is only another chapter or 2 before the end. 
> 
> Thanks everyone who gave nice comments...they mean alot!


	33. Fugitives to the Rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys don't mind the 1st person chapters...I like the back and forth between perspectives...

My lungs hurt, my head hurt, my arms…you guessed it…hurt! I was almost delirious at this point, my stomach was like a black hole, and the grumbling from it shook my spine.

This is what greeted me as I slowly struggled awake – still chained to the wall of my cell. Why I even bothered with consciousness was a mystery.

Just as I was reaching this pathetic conclusion, I realized the air was becoming thin as the machine began to suck the oxygen out of the cell, yet again. My heart sank. Desperately I started gulping air in a vain air attempt to put off the inevitable...

Frustrated with the sense of helplessness that came over me, as I did each other time this happened, I pulled hard on the cuffs holding me to the wall. I had a rhythm now, I put all my energy into one and then the other, hoping I could get one to break. This time I was rewarded when, I suddenly felt one start to give. As I focused all my energy on that one, the long period of time with no food or water…and lately - no air began taking its toll.

This continued, until I couldn’t hold my breath any longer and as I gave one last feeble yank, I felt myself lose control as my chest heaved and the breath flew out of me only to be replaced by…nothing.  _So close! Dammit!_  I tried to not think about my current situation and focused on what I would do when…if I woke up next time. That cuff was coming off them, I swore to myself as my whole body began to shake.

As I hung there gasping like a fish out of water, which I basically was, I sensed movement in the room outside my cell. When I glanced up, a brief surge of hope filled me. Even if it was because the idea that the madman was back and might stop the experiment had flashed in my mind.

But when I saw him standing there…with Ross, my heart sank again. Still, in desperation, I pleaded with my eyes at the two men, hoping against hope that they would take pity and stop this insane “experiment”. I had no idea what they hoped to learn from repeatedly suffocating me to the brink of death.

The veins must have been bulging out of my neck by now as my system began to shut down yet again. After 5 to 6 rounds of this, and in my weakened condition, my body was not able to withstand this for long. Suddenly I was convinced that this time – I wasn’t going to wake up. And, to be honest, I was at the point where, god help me, I was beginning to hope that I was right.

I closed my eyes in frustration, I didn’t want to see them watching me struggle anymore. It just made the whole situation that much worse for me. My eyes stung with frustrated unshed tears. How they could be so cruel, just didn’t make sense to me. I would never understand why. And I certainly wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of watching me break down. So, like every other test, I closed my eyes and thought of May.

But then something was different.

Surprised, my eyes flew open to see Ross yelling and then I thought I must be hallucinating because suddenly Natasha in full Black Widow mode appeared. And she was pointing a gun at Rubenstein. Then behind her was…oh wow...Hawkeye and then…then there was… _freaking Captain America_  himself!

Yup, I was definitely losing my mind.

But my attention was quickly brought back to the more pressing issue, my lungs, which were currently on fire and demanding my undivided attention. No matter what was going on out there, in here, I was quickly suffocating and losing consciousness. My vision was going and the familiar black dots began to appear.

As my head dropped to my chest in resignation, my body began to convulse, but then suddenly there was this loud bang and then the doors to my cell slid open.

And air…sweet, sweet air rushed in. It was almost a miracle.

Suddenly I could breathe again and my lungs greedily sucked in as much as they could. I almost cried from the sheer joy of being able to take a breath.

Once I had that under control, I tried to figure out what had happened. As I stared out into the room, I saw Bernstein being pummeled by the Black Widow and Hawkeye. My eyes must have been the size of saucers as I took the scene in.

_So…I wasn’t dreaming!_

But then, I noticed that the other member of the team, Captain America, was standing next to me. He had this angry look on his face and I unconsciously flinched away from him. His expression softened then. “Hold on kid, we’ll get you out of those.” He reached up and after pulling hard, he managed to snap open one of the cuffs holding me.

I don’t think he was prepared for how weak I was because as soon as my arm was free, my whole body collapsed. I let out a small grunt of pain as my full weight was suddenly pulling on the one arm still restrained.

“Oh, wow. I am so sorry!” His lips pressed together in frustration and he quickly grabbed me to help take the strain off my arm. But by holding me, he couldn’t get the other cuff off. “Clint…little help?”

“Huh? Oh. Nat, you got this?”

“Please don’t make me hurt you too…” came the indignant reply.

Hawkeye…or I guess his name was Clint…stepped away from where Rubenstein was lying on the ground being cuffed by Natasha. He came rushing over and gently held me up so that Captain America could work on the other cuff without me falling to the ground.

In short order, the cuff was laying in pieces on the cell floor.

“Hey kid, we got you. You okay?” Clint tried see if I had any more injuries other than the ones they could see now.

I was a little embarrassed because I didn’t have a shirt on and all the scars on my chest and arms from where Bernstein had cut me were plainly visible. I knew they saw this because Clint and Captain America were both struggling to find a place to hold me up that didn’t have a mark.

Even with all those injuries and my arms and lungs battled for which hurt more, the only thing I could think about was- “water.” My voice was barely above a whisper. I licked my lips and tried again, “Please…I need…water!”

Clint carried me out of the cell and over to a chair while the Captain went over to a sink at the other end of the lab and filled a glass he found there. He rushed over to me and I gulped it down in no time. “…more…please…I need more…”

He didn’t hesitate and quickly got me another. After I asked for a third glass, he told me I needed to slow down or I would make myself sick. Realizing he was right, I stopped to think about what else I needed. Which of course, instantly made me realize how hungry I was and my stomach naturally gave such a loud and long grumble that my cheeks turned a dark shade of crimson.

“Sorry guys, I haven’t eaten or drank anything since I got here…. uh…does anyone have something to eat?” I glanced at each of them with desperate hope. When Clint pulled out an energy bar from his pocket, I almost dove off the chair to get it. Luckily for me, he was already pushing it into my hand so I didn’t embarrass myself any more than I already had.

Like the water, I inhaled the bar. Sensing my mood, the man produced another bar before I even asked. “But this time, you need to take it slow. Like Cap said, you don’t want to get sick on your very own rescue mission, now do you?”

I numbly shake my head as I slowly nibble on the bar. “Uh, so, uh…not that I am not grateful, but…well - what are you guys doing here?”

Clint and the Captain exchanged curious looks, “Why we are here to rescue you…Peter!”

_Okay…okay. So, they know who I am. But do they know about-_

Clint glanced over at the unconscious Bernstein, then he leaned over and whispered, “Or should we say…Spider-Man…”

Well that answered that question…

“But aren’t you guys…like fugitives? Were you being held here too?”

The Black Widow came up to me now. I was in awe as I watched her approach me. Seeing her in action made me realize I should really ask her to train me. She definitely could help me step up my game! She had taken out Bernstein like he was tissue paper.

Her smile when she reached me was, as cheesy as it sounds, a ray of sunshine. I had almost lost hope over the past few days. Not knowing if I would ever get out, or what was happening in the outside world. But when she reached out and touched my shoulder, it all came crashing down on me. Her voice was soft as she asked me, “Hey kiddo. How you doing?”

Her words seemed to break whatever was holding me together. My face collapsed and tears welled in my eyes. “I’ve been better…” and I leaned into her allowing her to wrap her arms around me. I buried my face in her shoulder and tried desperately not to break down completely.

But a corner of my brain yelled at me that we were not out of danger yet, no time for a meltdown right now. So, I gave a last shuddering breath, pressed my eyes into the fabric of her uniform and then sat back. I gave her a weak smile and tried to get my emotions in check.

“So…. what’s next on the escape from a high security government facility agenda?”

Clint gave a dry chuckle behind me. “Heh, heh…I like him.” When I turned towards him, he held out a hand, “Hiya. I’m Clint.” I shook his hand, “Peter.”

“Hey Peter…and I’m- “

“ _Freaking Captain America_!” My inner geek was well and truly geeking out. I turned to the man with an awed look in my eyes.

“Uh, yes. Well, my friends call me Steve.”

“Wow, I can’t believe you guys took such a risk to come get me.” I was on a roll now…

Natasha gave a dry grin, “Well, they are not the only ones.” She turned and touched the com in her ear. “Scott, are you almost done?”

The door to the lab opened and everyone went into an attack stance until they realized it was only Scott.

“Ant Man too?!” Scott seemed to appreciate the fanboy reaction he was getting from me.

I couldn’t believe what was happening. I turned to everyone with my mouth open and my eyes wide in wonder. “This is…like…a dream come true! Well…aside from the last few days spent with…” My eyes went instantly to the man lying prone on the floor. I unconsciously took a step back and I was suddenly sobered with the reality of the situation.

“Guys…how are we going to get out of here? Please tell me you have a plan. I can’t go back into that cell.” My face must have reflected my panic, because instantly I was surrounded by heroes trying to distract me.

“Hey, none of that…we are definitely getting out of here, don’t you worry.”

“Don’t look at him. Turn this way, look at me.”

“What do you take us for…amateurs? Of course, we have a plan!”

Once I had calmed down a bit, they began talking about what to do now. Apparently, the plan was to get in, find me, sneak out all the research they had on me using Scott and then get me out. But when they saw what Bernstein was doing, they knew they had to change the plan slightly. Natasha was adamant that they couldn’t leave the doctor here. He was just too insane and seemed obsessed with me. I could attest to that. And so, they needed to find a way to take the man with us.

Scott came up with the perfect solution. It was risky, but only for the doctor, which everyone was fine with. The only touchy part was when they had to put cuffs on me. I had a bit of a panic attack, but Cap suggested they cuff me in the front and make sure that I could break out of them if necessary.

Once they had everything in order, they put their veils back on and I was looking at Ross and two security guards. “Wow…ain’t gonna lie, those things do an amazing job. You are seriously freaking me out looking like Ross!” I ducked my head to avoid seeing the fact again.

Natasha and Steve both put a comforting hand on my shoulders. “You ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s do this!”

And with that, we headed out the door.


	34. Nat has feels...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some dribble from Natasha's perspective...

Natasha walked down the hall in a cold rage. She could feel the trembling in Peter’s arm as she played the part of armed escort of a prisoner out of the base. The boy was terrified. She glanced over his head to look at Clint, he turned to look at her with another man’s face.

It should have been weird and confusing, but after years of working undercover and especially with Clint, it would take something much more than the wrong face on the man to unnerve her. Their eyes met and she could tell he too was feeling the trembling in the kid and more importantly, he was having the same reaction as her.  Someone was going to pay for this...and pay dearly.

It was probably worse for Clint because he was a family man. She pressed her lips together and just prayed that they could make it out without any issues, the kid had been through too much already. She could tell that her heart had already decided that if it was a choice between herself and Peter…she would make the choice which meant he could see his Aunt again.

The continued down the hall alert for any sign of trouble.  She just hoped it was as easy to get out as it had to get in.

\----------

The trip down to the lab had been uneventful, but as she had listened to the scientist, (Bernstein she thought his name was, but to be honest, she really didn't care) leading them, she became more and more concerned. They were warned that Peter was being studied, but honestly, she was thinking it was more along the lines of endurance tests on a treadmill…this…this sounded way worse.

And when they got to the office and she saw the amount of material they had on Peter, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.  But when she saw some reports showing the types of testing they were doing (Light Sensitivity Levels, Drug Resistance Levels…Pain Tolerance) she became frantic. Thankfully Steve had the same concern, especially when Bernstein started talking about the latest test regarding his lung capacity and oxygen absorption levels.

But nothing could prepare her for what they found when they finally entered the lab. Bernstein happily walked in and moved over to study the test results not sparing a glance at the prisoner struggling to breath in the cell in front of him.

Inside, she could see Peter obviously suffering and practically begging with his eyes for help from any of them outside his prison. His chest and arms were covered with partially healed marks where they must have been cutting him for some test of his healing or pain tolerance…she could care less which. The point was - they were torturing the boy.

Nat took it all in and instantly made the call. This guy could not be left behind with any information on Peter. She stepped forward as Steve was taking a breath to yell at Bernstein.  She knew the type of man Bernstein was.  He was arrogant...sure of himself and his work.  He wasn’t going to respond to Ross. But she knew, just like any other man she had tried this with, that he  _would_  respond quite well to a gun in his face.

And true to form, the man folded instantly...

Once they had the cell door open and Steve had moved to get the kid out, she lost no time taking down Bernstein to make sure he didn’t call for help.  And if she punched him one or two…or twenty.. times more than necessary to knock him out…well she could live with that.

She would never regret her decision to deviate from the plan, but it did put them in a bit of a situation.

The original plan was to get in, tell whoever was holding Peter that he had made a deal with Stark and was taking Peter to show his good faith in getting the information. Once they were out, they were going to wipe Ross’s memory and give him new memories which would match their story. Give the guy the old data and let him get back to base before he checked it and would realize he had been had.

He would look bad, get nothing out of the deal and have lost the chance to hold Peter. And to make sure he didn’t try and come for Peter again, they were going to make sure they had wiped all traces of who Peter was. And they would send him back with a video tape that would be released if he didn’t let this whole vendetta against Tony and the Avengers go. If the tape got out, not only would Ross’s career be over – he would be looking at jail time.

But that all went out the window when they met Bernstein. The guy was clearly unhinged and most definitely obsessed with creating another super soldier like Cap. But he was now fixated on Peter and the fact that he was enhanced. They couldn’t not address this, especially if Peter had a hope in hell of keeping his identity secret.

But that meant they had to get this guy out of the facility too. And they only had 3 veils with them.

As they sat thinking of what to do, Scott had a brilliant idea – what if they shrunk the guy and took him out in the briefcase with all the research?

To a man, the team all turned to Peter for help on this tricky problem. Could they do it…without killing the guy?

Luckily, the kid was as brilliant as Stark kept insisting to anyone that would listen. After a slew of calculation, he told Scott to shrink the guy to the size of a guinea pig. At that size, he would fit in the case and would not feel any lasting side effects from the shrinking.

So, they trussed up the guy so he wouldn’t be able to move or make any noise and then gave him a shot of a drug that Peter said would make him sleep. “You sure you don’t want to give him some that is painful?” Clint offered with a glint in his eye.

Peter, ever the kind soul, just shook his head. She could tell he was struggling so she came over to distract him from Bernstein and asked him to help her make sure the cuffs they were going to put on him would absolutely not lock.

The easiest was to do that was for Peter to use his strength to break them. And while Steve could have done it as well, she wanted to give the kid the control so that he would not stress too much during the ride out of this hell hole.

She tried her best to keep her rage in check as they made their way up and back to the helicopter. Thankfully it was still on the pad…and even better…the pilot was still on the deck. He was apparently filling out some paperwork and wasn’t paying attention to anything around him.

Steve glanced around the area but there wasn’t anyone paying attention to them, so he squared his shoulders and marched over to the man. “Hey!”

The pilot almost jumped out of his skin as he quickly spun around to face “Ross”.

“I need you to fly me back to Stark’s compound.” He didn’t wait for an answer and strode by the pilot and moved towards the helicopter.

The pilot blinked a few times, and then realizing that the man was serious, he started fumbling with his papers and for a split-second Nat thought he might argue, but as she and Clint came walking by with their “prisoner” walking between them, he seemed to make the connection that he should do what his boss has asked.

“Today would be nice!” Steve was really pouring it on thick now. He stared at the pilot as he rushed over to open the door, muttering apologies as he quickly opened the door and then as they all boarded the chopper, he ran around to the other side and climbed into the pilot’s chair.

“Uh, sir, what should I tell the tower?”

“Tell them that I am on a time sensitive mission and I am taking a prisoner to try and make a deal for information vital to National Security. Anything else they want to know will have to wait until I get back.”

“Uh, yes…yes, sir!” And with that, he started preparing the vessel for lift off.

Nat didn’t realize she was holding her breath until the chopper was well on its way and there was no sign of pursuit. All of them were sitting with tense expressions on their faces. Nat’s internal clock was counting down the minutes until they got back to the compound. As she glanced out the window of the chopper, she was certain that she had caught a glimpse of Tony…or maybe it was Rhodey or Sam. She knew they were all out there following their signals and sticking well out of the chopper’s sensors to make sure they got away safely.

She was so distracted in her attempts to spot one of the boys in the clouds that she didn’t realize so much time had passed. Peter shifted excitedly beside her and she glanced down to see that they were approaching the compound’s helipad.

_God, this whole ordeal is almost over!_

She didn’t want to jinx herself so she pushed the thought out of her mind almost as soon as it formed. The last few minutes before they finally landed and were able to rush Peter out of the helicopter were almost torture for everyone in the cabin. It was a wonder the pilot didn’t sense something was wrong with them, but Nat was proud of them all. They managed to keep it together…Steve even managed to yell at the pilot some more about staying awake this time as he stormed away.

But as soon as the door to the roof clicked shut, the whoops of happiness could be heard all over the compound.

Steve quickly pulled the veil off and Nat and Clint were right behind him. Then there was much hugging and thumping on backs as they all congratulated each other on a job well done.

“Well, we still have a bit more to go, so we shouldn’t keep the team waiting.” Steve held up the briefcase and sat it down on the floor and clicked it open. “Hey Scott, wanna join the celebration?”

Almost before he finished talking, Scott came springing out of the case and they all stepped back as he grew to normal size. He clicked off the helmet and gave a whoop of his own! “Yeah!! We did it!”

Nat glanced into the case and saw the struggling form of the mad scientist. The guy must be freaking out about now. They were all giant sized to him. She gave a humorless smile as she slowly shut the case. She watched as his eyes grew large and he frantically shook his head. Then her smile became evil as she happily snapped the case shut and yanked it up in the air.

“Okay boys, you all did good. Now let’s get back to Wanda and Tony to decide what we should do now.” She reached over to ruffle Peter’s hair. “And I know there are some people here that will be super excited to see- “

“Peter!” May was skidding around the corner as she frantically rushed to get to Peter as quickly as possible.

“MAY! Oh, thank goodness you are okay!” Peter turned upon hearing her voice and rushed over to the woman. They practically crashed into each other and clung together like they would never be able to let go.

May was crying and just kept saying his name over and over. Peter, meanwhile just buried his face in her shoulder and tried to fight the tears that kept threatening to fall. After a few minutes, they had both recovered enough to speak properly. May looked over at Nat and the others who had gone to get Peter. “Thank you. Thank you so much!” She choked on a sob. “You brought him back to me…oh!”

May had pulled away from Peter to look at him and that was when she noticed the marks all over his chest and arms. “Oh, my god…what did they do to you?” Her voice was shrill.

“Please don’t worry May-“ But Peter was interrupted by the sounds of his friends all calling his name behind them. Apparently, they had all been coming to see Peter, but May had broken some major speed records to get there well ahead of them.

His face changed from concerned to pure joy as he turned and was instantly enveloped by Ned and MJ and Flash. It was another session of crying and laughing and hugging and everyone was talking at once.

Nat could tell that May was in shock seeing what had happened to her nephew. She moved over to the woman and put an arm around her. “He’s okay May. I know it looks bad, but the worst is over and we got him out. Ross will never do this to him again. I promise.” She glanced over to May and gave her such a look of understanding that May smiled through her tears and leaned her head against her shoulder.

“Thanks Nat…I know, it’s just...is this...what it’s going to be like for him from now on?” Fresh tears fell down her cheeks. “All he wants to do is help people, but every time I turn around, someone else is trying to kill him!” She sadly shook her head as she spoke but kept her voice low so as to not disturb Peter’s reunion with his friends.

Nat understood May's concern, she really did.  But honestly, there wasn't anything she could say that would help the situation.  Peter was special and he wanted to use his powers to help others.  As long as he did, there would be those that would want to stop him.  Nothing May might say or do could change that.  So, she just kept her arm around the woman and comforted her the best she could as they watched the joyous reunion in front of them.  She willed May to focus on that, not the ugliness of those in this world that wanted to hurt her boy.

But the joyous moment was winding down as the friends fully took in Peter’s condition.  When the cursing started, Nat side eyed Steve.  He turned to face her and narrowed his eyes at her look.  Yup...still regretting that comment.  She pursed her lips and had the grace to look away.  The kids were starting to flip out now.  She turned in time to see the girl go off.

“What the actual hell?” MJs face was turning purple in anger.  "What happened?  Did-did they do this...to...you??"

Ned’s face began to look concerned, “Oh Pete…I’m so sorry! It must have hurt when I hugged you!” His hands began fluttering as he worried about what he had done to his friend without thinking.

Peter stood there and tried to cover himself, trying to hide the scars on his body, suddenly self-conscious with them all staring at him.  "Don't worry Ned, it doesn't hurt anymore."  His face started to look drawn again.

Flash’s face was one of shock as well. His mouth set in a perfect O and his eyes practically bulged out of his head. “Ross did this, didn't he?” He turned started pacing. “They can’t get away with this…. can they?” He turned to the adults hoping that they would be able to provide answers.

Clint saw how Peter was getting upset so he spoke up to help deflect what was sure to be a barrage of questions, “We won’t let them, we promise. But we need to get back to the conference room to get this all sorted out. It isn’t over just yet.”

Steve nodded and then gently put his hand on Peter’s shoulder, “How about you all go help Peter get cleaned up? He probably could use a good meal too.” Glancing over at May, he added, “And a good helping of down time with his friends and family…”  Peter looked up at Steve with a grateful look in his eyes.

"I could really use a shower and I am starving!"  His stomach gave a massive growl as if on cue.

May shook off her own feelings about what had happened and put on the happy face that every parent uses to deflect their own pain and project a sense of comfort towards their hurt child. “That’s a good idea guys. Why don’t we all head over to the room we were waiting in and help Pete get settled in?”

Nat watched as the small village surrounded Peter and led him away in a sea of kind voices and gentle support. She knew he was in good hands now, so she allowed herself to focus back on the problem at hand…Ross and his amazing shrinking scientist.

She hurried to catch up with Steve, Clint and Scott as they headed to the conference room where Wanda was keeping the real Ross on ice.

She was definitely going to make sure this all ended here and now. If it meant bullets in some skulls to keep them quiet, so be it.


	35. Another Homecoming...another Sandwich...

As Clint walked into the conference area, he noticed Ross’s form still slumped over at the table. The two guards that had been laying on the floor when they left were now slumped in chairs next to him. But it didn’t look like Ross had moved at all since they had left...he glanced down at his watch…2 hours ago.

Man…had it only been 2 hours? It felt like days had gone by.

And he didn’t think he was the only one. Everyone looked drained.  The euphoria they had felt when they first arrived had dissipated after seeing how May and Peter's friends had reacted to the boy.  They had been so focused on getting him out, they hadn't taken any time to make sure he was physically okay.  They tried not to feel too guilty, but it was hard not to.

For Clint, this mission had really affected him because Peter was just a kid.  And every time he thought about what had happened, what he had seen in that lab, his jaw clenched so hard, it started aching. All he could think about was  _What if that was Cooper?_  Peter really wasn’t much older than his boy. If Ross could do this to a kid, who knew what he might do to his family. He looked at the man lying unconscious at the table. For a moment, blind rage colored his vision, and he wanted nothing more than to pull out his bow and… _sunk snuk…_ plant two arrows in the man. That would put an end to the insanity that was his obsession with Stark, Steve and Bruce and Bucky…and now Peter.

He’d had a similar blind rage reaction in Sokovia. After he had almost died trying to save that kid. And seeing Pietro die right in front of him…saving him… He had called it quits right there. Saving one kid and then seeing another die. It was too much for him. 

But after spending time with his family, he had gotten better.  Worse, he had gotten bored.  So bored in fact, he jumped at the opportunity to help Cap when he called.

It was supposed to be a simple mission. Steve and Tony were having a disagreement over the Sokovia Accords. For Clint, he was incensed that Ross and his ilk were using a true disaster to try and strong arm the Avengers and any enhanced human to basically register with the government.

To Clint, it was adding insult to injury that Tony agreed with Ross. Especially since it was Tony that created the situation in Sokovia in the first place, so of course Clint sided with Steve. He went to Germany to help Steve stop Nemo from activating more Winter Soldiers.  It was important but no one believed them. And for the good of the mission, Scott, Sam, Wanda and himself stayed behind to give Steve and Bucky a chance to get away. But none of them were prepared for Ross’s over the top reaction to it and being thrown into the most heavily secured secret facility on the planet.

So, when Steve had come to break them out, he was more than willing to go on the run with them. But after almost a year he was starting to lose hope.

Many a night, him and Scott stayed up to all hours trading tales of their kids. It helped some…having someone that understood. But as each day went by, he found himself cursing himself again and again for coming out of retirement. And for what? They were wrong about the soldiers and then Tony and Steve had almost killed each other and now they were no longer heroes…but rather fugitives from the law.

Though he had been able to get a few calls home through some super-secret tech that, surprisingly enough, Steve had provided, it wasn’t enough. He was missing the best years of his kids’ lives and he now knew he had made a really bad choice. Laura never blamed him for their current situation, she knew he went in for the right reason. They had met when he was already an agent, so she knew the life and she always supported him no matter what…crazy woman! Besides, he was beating himself up enough for the both of them. He had naively thought he could get back into the game and then back out with no consequences. But now his life was all about running, stolen moments with his family and countless nights cursing himself for being a fool.

Lately, he and Scott had been having bad dreams and Wanda was on edge all the time. Vision’s visits helped her a bit, but it was as if she knew something bad was going to happen but could do nothing to stop it, so Vision did his best to visit as much as he could. It was nice for everyone when Vision came because he always gave them updates on how things were going back at the Avengers compound and brought letters from home. This visit, they had heard how Ross kept going after Tony to give them up and how Tony was doing his best to throw him off their trail and keep the man’s anger directed at himself.   While he appreciated the cover, it didn’t do much to help find a solution.

Clint sometimes got unreasonably pissed that the two men couldn’t just bend a little. It was like they didn’t see the collateral damage they were doing in their continued war of who had the moral high ground.

And while he wholeheartedly sided with Rogers about the Accords, he knew the pain that Stark had always carried over his parent’s death. To find out that someone you considered a friend and ally was protecting the murderer, no matter how justified, it was a hard pill to swallow…he knew he wouldn’t be able to do it.

It was during this limbo life wandering around the world helping the helpless and trying to find a purpose that they had gotten the call. And it was as if they had all be collectively waiting for  _just this moment_  because they had mobilized and were at the compound within the hour.

When they first got there, it was weird. It was good to see Nat again but it had been hard to see Rhodey, knowing that he had been on the side that helped do that to him. He was sure that Sam felt even worse. He was immensely grateful to Rhodey when he had taken Sam aside and had a quick word with him.   He could tell that he had tried to let the guy know that he was okay…that there were no hard feeling over what happened. It was a truly kind and really classy move. He always like Rhodey, but this just put him higher on the ladder.

Clint was trying to decide how he felt seeing Tony. The guy looked like he had been through the ringer. His eyes were bloodshot and he looked beaten. In all the years he had known the man, he had never seen him looking this bad. But then he had come clean about the Spider super he had brought to Germany. A kid! A kid named Peter who was in trouble…because of them. And Clint knew Cap and the team would help, because he knew  _he_  was going to help. He couldn’t let another kid suffer because of him and he was sure the others felt the same.

And they had come out the other side. The kid was safe again, the bad guys in their custody and no one was injured or killed. But he was still feeling on edge. He had seen the inside of a high security jail and what he saw at Ross’s private lab brought chills to his spine. Just imagining the days of torture that kid had suffered at the hands of these two madmen made him want to punch something.

To keep himself calm, he tightly folded his arms and moved away from the table…towards the back of the room. He didn’t want lose control and wasn’t much in the mood for chitchat right now. He leaned against the pillar and watched as the Tony rushed into the room ready to welcome them all back.

The man practically ran into the room. Rhodey and Sam following closely behind. They all had huge smiles on their faces. “The returning heroes! You guys did it!” His eyes searched the group as he came in the room. But his face fell a bit when he didn’t see Peter. “Uh…where-“

Steve turned to answer Tony’s question before he finished, “I’m sorry Tony. I sent him off with May for some time to recover and refresh himself. Besides, he doesn’t need to be here for this.” He gave his trademark smile which begged Tony to understand.

Tony’s face scrunched in disappointment as he passed his hand over his eyes. He sighed realizing that Steve was right and turned back to the task at hand, “Yes, your right…of course,“

Just then Pepper and Happy came rushing into the room. They stopped and took in the scene. Not sure what they had just walked in on, Pepper chose to ignore it and went over to Tony. She was looking around the room at everyone. She walked up to Tony and then leaned into him as he lifted an arm to wrap around her. “You guys are back! Where’s Peter? Is he okay?”

Happy spoke up from behind her. “We saw the helicopter was back but didn’t know where you guys were. I…uh, wanted to make sure he was okay.” He looked around expectantly, hoping someone would take pity on him and just point him in the right direction.

“Cap sent him off for some alone time with May.” Tony’s tone made it clear that he was not happy that he hadn’t got to see Peter yet either.

He looked around the group again, “So where is the… Ah, yes, thank you Ms. Romanov,” Nat was holding up the case towards Tony.

Scott was still keyed up from the rescue. He bounced on his toes as he watched as Tony laid the case on the desk, “I, uh, would be careful opening that…”

Tony took a step back as the case popped open to reveal a very tiny but angry human. Pepper gave a little squeak of fear and moved away from the case as if it held a poisonous snake. Tony was less impressed. He looked in askance at Scott and then Steve. “Care to explain?”

Nat’s face was like stone. “It was my call. This is the  _doctor_  that Ross had said was testing Peter.” Her eyes flashed with deadly intent. She really wanted to hurt the guy but was struggling to remain calm. “He was not performing tests on Peter. It was way worse. The guy was obsessed with Peter and I couldn’t take the chance of leaving him there. We took all his research but I knew that wouldn’t stop him.”

As she spoke, Scott came over to unshrink the man. Once he was full sized, he lost the fearful look and his face puffed and turned red as he tried to yell around the gag in his mouth. Clint ignored the indignation of the man as they slammed him into the chair next to Ross. Wanda quickly came up behind him with red tendrils coming out of her hands. Suddenly the man ceased his muffled yelling and slumped unconscious onto the table next to Ross.

“So…what now?” Clint noticed how Nat fingered the gun at her hip as she spoke. He knew what she was thinking. He couldn’t bring himself to disagree with her assessment of what  _should be done_.

Steve must have noticed as well. He stepped lightly to the table to stand next to Tony. “Tony,  _we_  thought it best to bring him back with us. We were hoping there might be away to...” He trailed off. Tony wasn’t listening.

Tony was silently looking through a report he had pulled from the documents that filled the case. He looked at some of the data and the notes, flipping angrily through the document. His face got darker and darker. Glancing up at Nat and then over to Steve with an expression of disbelief, “Is this for real? Is this…what the hell is this?” He crunched the report in his hand and then slammed it down onto the table. “This is like some…sick joke!” He looked at the still forms of Ross and Bernstein with barely suppressed anger.

Scott sensed the deadly edge in Tony’s voice and he moved over to stand in front of Tony. “Hey, man. Don’t forget the mission. We need them if the plan is going to work.” He hesitantly placed a hand on Tony’s arm, not sure how he was going to react.

Steve also came over to stand next to Scott, “Now Tony…we need to remain calm.”

“Calm? Calm! These guys were performing inhuman tests on Peter. On a child! What the hell are you talking about – stay calm!”

As Scott, Sam and Steve tried to placate Stark who looked like he wanted to rip Rubenstein’s head off, Wanda moved over to the case and slowly picked up some of the papers that Tony had left on the table. She tried to press out the wrinkles to read it clearer, but soon had to stop reading once she realized that what she was reading was a detailed account of them literally torturing Peter Parker. Standing quietly the middle of a tornado of noise in the room, Wanda feels eyes are on her and she swiftly looks up.

In the doorway, Peter is standing there watching what is happening in the room.  His face is unreadable.

She turns and calls out to Tony. He is furious and going on about how Ross and Rubenstein didn’t deserve to live after what they did. She tries again, “Tony!”

“What?!” He turns to her and sees Peter standing behind her. Instantly the room is silent. And in another first for Clint, he witnesses Stark at an absolute loss for words.

Tony steps forward to block the sight of Ross and Rubenstein passed out at the table. As if everyone had the same thought, Steve, Scott, Sam and Happy move to block them from Peter’s view as well. Seeing this, Tony quickly moves forward towards the boy in a strange magnetic repulsion dance. Tony wants so badly to go over and crush the boy into a hug, but he is suddenly shy.

“Hey Kiddo! How are you doing?” His eyes widen slightly fully self-aware of how stupid he sounds, but almost helpless to stop. “Uh, did you get something to eat?”

Peter tips a thumb over his shoulder pointing back into the hallway. “Yeah…yeah thanks. Uh May got me some sandwiches. So, I’m good…I’m…yeah, good.” He moves hesitantly into the room. But upon seeing how everyone is staring at him, he starts to feel like he should leave. “Sorry, you guys look like you are busy…so I guess I’ll should uh…sorry, I’ll just…” He ducks one shoulder as he starts to turn away, but Tony finally seems to unfreeze.

“Wait!” His voice is almost pleading as he moves over to the boy who now looks like a deer in headlights. He reaches out a hand and places it gently on Peter’s shoulder. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Blinking back tears, Peter vigorously nods his head. Suddenly Tony pulls him into a hug.  

Peter hesitantly lifts his arms.

“Yes Peter…we are there now.” Hearing that, Peter’s hands quickly grab onto Tony and they are hugging and crying and laughing. Tony holds Peter at arm’s length to get a good look at him. “I can't believe we were able to pull this off!"

“You and me both!” Peter suddenly realized how that sounded.  "Not...not that I thought you couldn't...it's just...I didn't know how you would be able to find me!  But when I saw Captain America!  Oh man, I knew it was you Mr. Stark."  He pressed his lips together and nodded.  "Thank you!"  Tony smiled sadly. 

"I'm just sorry it took so long."  He squeezed Peter into another hug.  "You are never leaving my sight again!"

That got a laugh out of Peter.  It was the most beautiful thing Tony had ever heard.  Peter then turned to Steve and glanced at the others in the group of fugitives. “Ross tried to get me to tell him what I knew about you guys, but I never broke!  I didn't tell him anything this time.” He said it like he was so proud and Steve could see how Tony’s face crumpled behind the boy. He knew it wasn’t because of what the boy said, but rather because it meant.  That yet again, someone had tried to hurt his kid.  Because they could all see that Tony had adopted the boy in his heart.

It was already clear to everyone in the room that Peter was extremely important to Tony but for those that had known him long, they saw how Peter brought out the best in Tony. And not only could they see how much he adored the kid, they could also see how much Peter looked up to Tony.

Steve vowed right there that he would do everything he could to make sure Peter was safe from Ross and Rubenstein from now on. Steve smiled for the boy’s sake and congratulated him. He went over and shook his hand. The kid gushed like he was meeting royalty. And then everyone was rushing up to hug Peter or ruffle his hair.  Peter had just become part of the Avengers for real.

But in the hectic mix, Peter suddenly saw the men at the table and he froze. Pepper belatedly tried to step in front of him, but he just moved around her. “Wow…they…they don’t look so...so scary now.” He didn’t say anything more, just stood there.

Steve and Tony shared a look. It was Sam who broke the boys trance. “Hey Peter. They still have a ton of boring business to discuss. And I really don’t want to stick around for that…how about you show me where you are staying? I could really use something to eat.” Peter allowed Sam to direct him out of the meeting area.

He seemed to come to at the door and ever the polite kid, he focused on trying to help Sam. “Oh…uh, yeah. May made some sandwiches…”

“Cool! How about you take me there. I would love to meet you Aunt and your friends. I heard a lot of good things about…”

Happy suddenly spoke up. “Did you say sandwiches?” Peter turned and grinned at Happy as he moved to join Peter at the door. “I am suddenly starving and looking for any excuse to avoid another meeting!”

Tony gave the men a grateful look as they lead the boy out of the room. He stood watching the door after it closed for a few minutes. No one knew quite what to do, so they all waited to see what would happen next.

Tony took a deep breath and then turned as he took his glasses off and moved resignedly back to the table. “Okay team, time to put our master plan into action. I want to get these two scum balls out of here before I try to kill them again.”

Scott tried to bring a little levity to the situation, “Well, no one said we couldn’t rough these guys up a little first. But, yeah we should get them out of here before someone kills them!”

Natasha tilted her head a little and asked pointedly, “Why shouldn’t we? They tried to kill Peter. If we hadn’t gotten him out, they most likely would have. Bernstein is clearly out of his mind and Ross hired him. I think they deserve to be taken out. It would be in the best interest of everyone really.”

There was this shocked moment of silence and then everyone started speaking at once. It was like no one wanted to be the one to argue for not killing the men, but to hear Natasha plainly say what she did…it set everyone off.

Wanda watches sadly as everyone is starting to lose it. She looks over at Clint who seems the only one, other than her, not participating in the argument. She keeps eye contact with him as she slowly let her energy out. He gives her a slight nod of consent and feeling as if he understands and agrees with her actions, she concentrates on calming everyone down.

Everyone stops yelling and then start to look a little wobbly. Scott realizes what is happening first. “Hey, Wanda…are you…you are! This is wild!”

She is tearing up as she lets her powers flow over the group. The negative energy they are all giving off is almost overwhelming. “Please…please stop fighting. There is so much pain inside that boy…I can’t take it if you are all fighting too.”

Instantly they all looked chagrined. Steve is the first to say something. “You’re right Wanda. We are sorry. We just got upset. Those of us that found Peter and Tony after seeing what they did…”

Tony was holding his hands to his face, cupping his nose and mouth. Taking a deep breath, he turned to Wanda, “I’m sorry my dear. I kind of lost it there for a minute. Thank you for helping us to calm down. I’m better now. I promise.” He held up one hand with the three-fingered boy scout salute. He tried to force a smile on his face, but she knew he was still upset. It didn’t matter, he was right to be upset, just not murderously so. She nodded and let the red smoke dissipate.

“Okay, so back to the problem at hand. And while I agree with you Ms. Romanov..." Tony pointed at Natasha and Steve started to speak up, “…in  _principal!_ In  _principal!_    We have to find a solution that doesn’t include man hunts for one Mr. Parker...or myself…kay?” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a device that he put on the table. “Fury let me borrow the tech he used on Gargan. This little device will allow us to wipe these guys memories of anything related to Peter.”  

He turned to look at Scott. “And you’re sure you got everything from his lab? All the paperwork, all his computer files?”

Scott smiled, clearly pleased with himself. “I didn’t bother with computer files,” He went over to the case and started taking out miniaturized office equipment. He clicked a button on his suit and they suddenly grew to full size, “I just took the whole dam computer.  And everything else in the la.”

Tony nodded impressed in spite of himself, “So we have everything then?” When Natasha nodded, he turned to the men at the table. “Wanda, would you be so kind?” He pointed to Ross and Wanda helped to wake the man up.

Ross suddenly woke up and blinked. This was definitely not how he expected to wake up – tied to a chair in Tony’s compound, with his guards and Bernstein unconscious around him and surrounded by Avengers. Very angry Avengers. Still he scowled when he saw Steve and his gaggle of fugitives standing next to Tony.

“Stark. I knew you were holding out on me.” He practically spit at Tony, “If you think I’m going to let this stand…”

Tony grinned…it wasn’t a pleasant grin. His voice was like ice.

“Oh, I think that is exactly what you are going to do. Points for trying, but sorry…your reign of terror is  _over_. Because if you don’t do exactly what we tell you…this is what is going to happen…to you.” He went over to the machine and he took some electrodes and attached them to Bernstein’s head. One on each temple.

He looked back at Ross. “This machine will allow me to erase any memory or thought that I wish. And right now, I want to remove any trace of memory related to Peter. Now depending on how obsessed he is with Peter, how much he knows, he could come out of this relatively unscathed or he could come out a vegetable.” He turned back to the machine and typed in something. Then he moved his finger to the switch,

“Let’s see what we get shall we?”

And with that Tony flicked the switch.


	36. Memory Memory - Who's Got the Memory?

The machine whirred away while everyone stood in the room in rapt attention to both the device and the man it was attached to. There was nothing to indicate that anything was happening. Minutes ticked by.

“Tony…” Steve’s voice held a tone of concern. Tony ignored him and instead continued to monitor the machine as it completed its program. There was a loud beep sound and then it powered down.

The room was plunged into silence. No one spoke or even moved as Tony quickly disconnected the pads from Bernstein. Everyone had varying expressions of hope and trepidation watching the slumped over scientist.   “What happens now?” Steve still didn’t sound confident. His face was one of concern.

“We wait.” Tony wiped his beard with his good hand and purposely strolled over to the kitchen area to pour a cup of coffee. Steve followed him, worry creasing his brow.

Tony could feel the displeasure flowing off the man. “What’s up Cap?” His tone was mild as he turned with a raised eyebrow. His air of calm was punctuated by the loud sip of his coffee he took waiting for Steve to respond.

“Tony.” Steve’s tone was low but had a note of warning. “What exactly are you doing here? We don’t have the authority…to just wipe someone’s memory. We can’t-“

The billionaire held up a finger to prevent the tirade he knew this was turning into. He lowered his voice as he glanced over at Ross. The man was staring with horrified fascination at Bernstein. “No, you listen. You need to get off your d*mn high horse. To protect one of our own…to protect Peter...I can and I will do whatever it takes. So, zip it. We can discuss this later-“

“Tony-“

“Later.” He slapped the mug onto the counter and went back to the table. “Ms. Maximoff. I think enough time as gone by. Let’s see how out ‘patient’ is doing. If you please?”

Wanda went over to Bernstein and let her red energy flow out of her hands and over the man’s head. After a few seconds, the scientist began to stir. Seeing this, Wanda hastily moved back towards the group as if the man was a venomous snake. Natasha knew exactly how she was feeling and went over to stand next to the woman to comfort her.

Bernstein slowly sat up groaning and rubbed his eyes. Blinking rapidly, he looked around. “Uh…my head?” He looked at Stark who was standing in front of him. Then he looked at everyone else and a confused look came on his face. “Where…where am I? Who are you?”

Ross looked between Tony and Bernstein. His voice had a hard edge to it, “Stark?”

Tony ignored him. Instead, he turned to the scientist. “Dr. Bernstein…” His tone wasn’t exactly comforting, but it also didn’t convey they deep hatred he had for the monster sitting in front of him. Just thinking about what he had done to Peter made his blood boil. He took a deep breath before he continued. “Hello… what’s the last thing you remember?”

_There almost cordial…Pepper would be proud._

“Uhmm…well…I- I was eating breakfast and then…I…” He looked around again confused. “I woke up here. What’s…what’s going on?”

“Yes Stark…what is going on?” Ross leaned over to Rubenstein. “Are you okay?”

“Uh…yeah…I think…” Rubenstein looked up at Ross with a look of deep confusion. “Wh-who are you?”

Ross’s head shot up and he fixed Tony with a hard stare. “Stark. What did you do?”

Tony smiled as he turned to Rubenstein. “What day is it?"

Rubenstein was taken aback by the question.  But when they all waited expectantly for him to answer, he stopped to think.  "Uh September 19th?"  He looked at Stark for confirmation.

"And the year?"

Now Rubenstein was worried..."2014?"

Ross sucked in a breath. Tony ignored him again.  Good, good.  Are you thirsty? Do you want some coffee?” When Rubenstein numbly nodded, Stark moved back to the kitchen.

Ross’s voice stalked behind Stark, getting louder as the man continued to move away, “Stark…what did you do?  Stark answer me.”

Slowly grabbing a cup out of the cabinet, Tony went over to pour a cup. He turned and grabbed a caddy with coffee creamer and sugar as he passed by the counter. Once he got back to the table, he shoved the items towards Rubenstein.

“Uh…could someone…please tell me what is going on?” Rubenstein went to stand, but Scott was standing there and placed a hand on his shoulder to pushed him back down.

“I think you should…just sit, relax and drink your coffee.” He smiled thinly at the man. It didn’t reach his eyes.

Rubenstein picked up the coffee and took a nervous sip. His eyes flitted around the room and he hesitated and then slowly put down the cup.  He continued taking sips as he looked at everyone  in the room with no recognition.  Ross had known the man for over a year.  The way he glanced right over him just like the others was unnerving to the General.

Stark looked at Wanda standing behind the man. She made eye contact and slightly nodded. Red energy streamed out of her fingers and flowed to Rubenstein. The man quickly lost consciousness. Scott rescued the coffee before it made a mess.  Tony was grateful.

As soon as he was sure the scientist was out, Tony stalked over to Ross. Clint roughly pulled the man’s chair out and around so that he was facing Stark. It was immediately obvious to everyone that Ross was definitely pissed about his current situation. But the way he kept glancing over at Rubenstein, they also knew he was afraid. Not a lot…but enough.

Tony stood watching Ross for a few moments. Then he grabbed a chair, swung it around and sat down. He leaned over to Ross and spoke in deadly serious voice, “Okay, so to be perfectly clear - that guy has had his memory erased.” He looked intently at Ross as he tapped the case holding the machine. “This device has made sure that Rubenstein no longer has  _any_  memories of Peter. And that is not going to ever change. Because if it does…”  

“What? What do you think could possibly- “?

“Nope. You don’t get to talk now. I am done…I’m not kidding…joking…messing around. Unless you make sure that Peter never…and I mean never…shows up on anyone’s radar, you will have the same done to you. Am…I…Clear?” He locked eyes with Ross and then felt a sick sense of joy when he saw Ross lean back from him a look of fear flashing across his face.

Clint was still standing behind Ross so when he leaned back, he bumped into him. Ross whipped around to see Clint smirking at him. “Fine.” He glanced again over at Bernstein's still form and gulped.

Tony clapped his hands together. “Okay, here’s how this is going to work.” He turned back to Ross. “You. Are going to take him…” Tony pointed over his shoulder at the memory wiped scientist. “…with you and you are going to tell the people back at your facility whatever story you want but Peter’s name stays out of it. And then...you will make sure that my kid’s name is completely wiped from every file you have on him. Every piece of information you have on him is going to...disappear.”

Ross began protesting immediately, “You can’t be serious, Stark. There’s-“

Tony didn’t let him finish, “Oh I am deadly serious.” His voice was bitingly cold as it cut him off and tapped the case on the table. “Because you see…if we sense in the slightest that the kid’s cover has been blown, I will not hesitate to release these files showing what you and your sick research butt monkey have really been doing at your ‘secret’ facility.” He reached across the table to snag the file from earlier. “We have everything from the lab where you were…keeping…him.” Tony’s face twisted in disgust.

“And, you sick f*ck - I am sure - if these ever got out, your career would be  _over.  A_ nd you will definitely be looking at jail time…a whole lot of jail time.” He just stared down Ross now. The expression on his face made it clear to everyone that he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. “And the  _only_  reason we are letting you go like this is because I need you to make sure that he is  _never_  bothered again.”

As Tony spoke, the other began to filter in behind him to stand like a wall in front of Ross. Ross started to lose that constant smug…superior look on his face. It actually seemed to be changing to fear.

“You don’t understand. I can’t just give up the test subject-“ There was a loud slap as Tony hauled off and hit the man. His face was an expression of fury as he struggled to get at the man again.

It was so severe that it took Steve quite a bit of effort to keep Tony off Ross. “Don’t you DARE speak about him like that. You b**tard!”

Ross realized he needed to take this all seriously. His tongue flicked along his lips as he looked around the room for someone to chastise Tony attacking him…but was only met with stony silence.

Tony was staring at him. The expression on his face was almost wild. Ross did a quick neck roll and sighed. “Okay…okay…fine.”

Tony relaxed suddenly.  Steve let him go and he straightened his jacket. “Good. Now get the hell out of my compound.” He snapped around and jabbed a thumb towards Rubenstein. “And take that piece of garbage with you.” Without anther word, he stormed out of the room.

Natasha and Clint exchanged glances. Natasha moved over to Wanda. “Okay let’s get these two out of here. Wanda…if you please?”

Once Bernstein was awake and they had untied Ross, Clint and Natasha went over to the two guards were sleeping on the couch. Clint looked at Ross. “Are we all good here?” When Ross reluctantly nodded, Wanda brought the two back to consciousness. Ross glanced at the two former Shield agents.

“Okay, gentlemen. We are off.” He spoke while the two men slowly came around. Seeing who was in front of them, they both quickly stood up at attention. “We will be taking Dr. Bernstein back with us.”

Trying to catch up with what was going on, the guards quickly moved to follow the group out.  They seemed confused as to what had happened.  Not wanting to admit they might have been asleep during the time they were supposed to be protecting Ross, and with the gentle push of Wanda's red energy, soon the men forgot all about the idea that they had been asleep, just as Tony had wanted.

As they walked, Natasha came up to Ross and walked next to him in silence. Feeling that she wanted to say something, Ross glanced over at her expectantly. Her voice was clear but low, “This new, memory short Bernstein might become a liability for you…if I were you, I'd take him out.”

Ross snorted. “That option is definitely in the cards.” They had reached the landing pad. He turned to her with a sarcastic salute, “But I do thank you for your concern.”

Nat stood watching as the group reached the helicopter, boarded and then took off. After making sure they were ready to go, Clint came over to stand next to her. He wore a puzzled expression as he approached her. “You okay?”

Her mouth worked for just a second before she answered, “Yeah, I’m fine.” She blinked and then held a hand up to her eyes as she watched the chopper take off. Anyone else would take her at her word, but Clint had worked too many years with her on too many missions to miss the subtle clues. She was definitely not okay.

He gave her a patient look and waited. She glanced over at him and sighed. “He didn’t hesitate when I suggested murdering Bernstein.”

“Okay?”

“Which means, he has done it before.” She turned to head back inside.  "And he made it clear that Bernstein isn't long for this world."

Clint fell in line beside her. “Well I can’t say I am surprised. He’s a snake.”

Natasha tilted her head in agreement. “Yes, and this snake…has been hunting Bruce.  For years.  Making his life a living hell. All in the name of his desire to create the perfect soldier…”

Clint suddenly realized why she was upset. He had forgotten that Ross was the one that had caused Bruce to go into hiding for all the years he had. And because of how Natasha felt about Bruce, it was no wonder she loathed the man. But even with that knowledge, it didn’t prepare him for the venom that was in her voice when she continued…

“And then he stumbled onto Peter…” She stopped and looked Clint directly in the eye.

And it was right at that moment that Clint knew that if there ever was an opportunity for Nat to take out Ross…without Cap finding out…she would do it – without hesitation or a moment of regret. And in the next moment Clint knew that there wasn’t a chance in hell he would do anything to stop her.

The silent agreement between the two of them helped them both to be able to accept Tony’s plan to just let the man go. There would come a time when they would make him pay. For now, the knowledge that both agreed on this was enough.

With a tiny smile, Nat turned and they continued back to the board room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, So do you want me to continue past IW? I am worried my story has outstayed it's welcome. I mean, do you find the story interesting or meandering? I do like the character studies I've had in several chapters, but I have also been trying to make sure my story dovetails well with IW and doesn't mess up the time line too much, lol What do you think? Also any story points you would like me to tackle?  
> And as always...comments feed my soul!


	37. Anxiety is not your friend...

 

As my friends dragged me away from Cap and the other Avengers who had gotten me out of Ross’s hell pit, I couldn’t help but be buoyed by their joy that surrounded me. I leaned into May’s arm around me and if I didn’t have super strength, I’m pretty sure I would have been bruised by how hard she held on.

When we moved into the apartment that they had been staying in, I could instantly tell they had been there for a while. When the door opened, my friends all poured into the apartment with the practiced ease of ones that had been spending quite a bit of time waiting. I felt a lump in my throat thinking about them all being here worrying about me.

There were several books on the table. There was one splayed on the couch where it was obvious that MJ had dropped it as they rushed to great me earlier. Over by the window, there was a table which held a deconstructed computer. Components were scattered across the table and there was a box of parts sitting by the chair. Ned must have been tinkering while he…waited.

May reluctantly let go and went over to the kitchen to start making something to eat. “As promised Nephew. What would you like?”

My stomach immediately growled loudly at the mere suggestion of food. “Something quick…I’m seriously starving. Only bad thing about my super metabolism…I can’t last long without food. And I haven’t had anything to eat since-” May’s face was turned stricken as she listened. I tried to quickly reassure her, “Oh…uh…but Cap got me some food after they…uh, got me out….”

I stopped talking. I wasn’t making the situation any better so I changed the subject, “How about…sandwiches? Ham and cheese?” I looked at her hopefully and that seemed to do the trick. She softly smiled and went to work getting me something.

Seeing that she was sorted, I turned back to my friends. The stood in a group watching me during that whole exchange. Suddenly I am feeling self-conscious and I find myself trying to find some topic to latch onto. Anything other than where I’d been. “Uh…”

“Hey Pete. Sorry, didn’t mean to stare.” Ned came over to him and put an arm on his shoulder. He pulled me over to the couch for us to sit down. I let him.

MJ and Flash both followed. “It’s just…well…we are just so glad you are back. I cannot imagine what it was like- ooof!“ MJ jabbed her elbow into Ned’s ribs. She gave him the look of doom and he instantly turned red.

I took a deep breath and make the decision to talk…to get it all out of the way now. “No, it’s okay. I ain't gonna lie.  It was pretty awful. The scientist that Ross stuck me with was clearly insane. He had this crazy idea about building a super soldier and well, he decided that doing  _testing_ on me was a good idea.” I rubbed the back of my neck, not sure how much to say now. I was keenly aware of May’s eyes staring at the back of my head. She was banging around the kitchen but I didn’t need my Spidey sense to know she was hanging on every word I said.

“I uh, am pretty tough, so I was able to survive quite a bit, but the guy was basically using torture…in the name of science. Lots of drug tests and endurance tests and I was pretty scared the whole time."  MJ leaned forward which caused me to stop talking and look up at her. I realized I was staring at the floor and not them.

Without a word, they all gathered around me and MJ put a hand on my arm as if to give me comfort without the embarrassment of hugs. I gulped a bit and my eyes teared up. All I could do was nod at them showing that I appreciated what they were doing. They all looked back at me with the same look and we just sat that way for a bit.  I had never felt such confusing emotions before.  The support they all were giving me was amazing.  But my mind was just racing with how to process what was done to me and I knew they couldn't understand.  So, it was kind of like before...an invisible wall between myself and everyone else in my life.  All the amazing but normal people just couldn't understand.  But the Avengers could...

May sensing that I had waited enough, held a plate in front of my nose. The scent of the food pushed all other thoughts out of my head. I pounced on the sandwich and devoured it within seconds. May’s face was tight with unspoken hatred for the people who had hurt me. But she tried to cover her feelings as she plastered a smile on her face and lifted another plate with several sandwiches on it at my questioning look.

And suddenly I was able to think of something else so I gave her a huge grin and grabbed the plate to inhale all of them. “Hey sweetie! Slow down there, kiddo! You’ll make yourself sick!” She grabbed the plate and handed me a glass of milk in its place. Then she moved around the room so she could put the plate on the coffee table in front of me. I realized she was right and stopped to focus on the food. I took a sip of the milk and it was the most delicious thing I had ever tasted. The sandwich was quickly forgotten as I savored each sip from the glass.

Sighing contently, I put the empty glass down and almost laughed out loud seeing how everyone was just watching me. “Guys, I’m okay now. Please…please don’t worry! You too Aunt May!” I saw her look guilty for being caught. “Thanks for the sandwich! You still make the best ham and cheese anywhere!”

She scoffed, “Tell that to Delmar's.”

“Well, I think you should let these guys try and see if they agree. They would make a great test group!”

And that seemed to break the spell I was under and my friends were my friends again. I asked Ned if I could see the computer he was working on and the tight circle around me seemed to break apart as everyone found something to do. MJ went to help May make sandwiches for the group and Flash excused himself to use the bathroom.

Ned and I went over to the table and started tinkering. We had been at it for about 10 minutes when I realized my mind was turning again to what had happened.  I needed to talk to one of the Avengers.  They would understand.  And then I realized II hadn’t seen Mr. Stark yet…or Happy…or Pepper.

I looked up to see what May was doing and decided it couldn’t hurt to ask. “May?” She looked up instantly, “Uh…would it be okay if I went to see if I could find Happy? I'm sure he is around here somewhere and I could really use a little fresh air.”

Imagine my surprise when she easily agreed! "That's a great idea.  Go find Happy and bring him back here."

“Do you want me to come with you?” Ned looked at me expectantly.

“No…no I really need to have a little time alone…if you don’t mind!” I rushed to explain.

“Of course, you do Peter. Go on, it’s okay. We will wait for you here.” I had no idea why May was being so agreeable with me leaving her side, but I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth!

I said a quick – Thanks! - and headed out. It took me a moment to get my baring in the compound, but once I did, I knew exactly where I was.  I decided to wander around and see where I ended up. In no time though, I could hear voices, one of which was Mr. Stark.  I was suddenly overwhelmed by the need to see the man. 

I was so focused on seeing Tony that I didn’t realize the voices were all raised in argument - until:

“Calm? Calm! These guys were performing inhuman tests on Peter. On a child! What the hell are you talking about – stay calm!”

When I reached the doorway to the meeting room, I could see them all in there arguing – about what I wasn’t sure, but I could see that Tony was fit to be tied. In shock, I just stood there…not sure what to do next.

Wanda suddenly looked up at me and I felt like a mouse stuck in a trap. “Tony…. Tony!”

“What?!” and then Mr. Stark is looking at me and all the anger drains from his face. Everyone is turning to look at me. Then Mr. Stark steps towards me and everyone seems to fall in behind him.

It’s all rather overwhelming to me and so instead of doing or saying anything I just stand there like an idiot.

“Hey Kiddo! How are you doing?” Mr. Stark’s voice has the super fact to it and I can tell he is feeling as awkward as I am, “Uh, did you get something to eat?”

And then I am grabbing onto the topic for something to say “Yeah…yeah thanks. Uh May got me some sandwiches. So, I’m good…I’m…yeah, good.”

In my distracted state I take a step into the room. But then seeing how everyone is staring at me, I realize I must be interrupting an important meeting. “Sorry, you guys look like you are busy…so I guess I’ll should uh…sorry, I’ll just…”

I don’t get far -

“Wait!” I turn towards his voice and he put a hand on my shoulder. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

The question is a loaded one. It catches me by surprise and I instantly tear up. Frantically I nod my head but he is having none of it…and he pulls me into a hug!

And then  I am happy and terrified all at once. Should I hug him back or are we still not-

“Yes Peter…we are there now.”

Laughing, I quickly hug him back before he can change his mind. And then it is okay. We are all laughing and everyone is talking and congratulating me as if I won a marathon…which in a sick way, I kind of did.

But then I suddenly see Rubenstein and all thought drains out of me. Pepper sees my face and tries to block my view, but it’s too late. My blood is suddenly cold. The man looks so peaceful. I wonder what he is dreaming about. How could someone so evil look so peaceful? It’s surreal that he is here. My mind suddenly fills with sensations of being back in that cell. His face wasn’t so peaceful then. He had a cold, cold look on his face as he jammed needle after needle into me and the drugs ragged through my body causing me to scream as I felt like I was being turned inside out. And then he had taken that damn knife and….

Oh…wow. I must have been staring because suddenly Sam’s face is in front of me and he is asking me something? Sandwiches? Oh yeah. May made some sandwiches…is that what he is asking?

Then Happy is there too and they are directing me out of the room while my brain is trying to catch up with what is happening.

Sam and Happy keep chatting away in light tones asking me questions and I answer them on auto pilot. 

Then, before I know it, we are back in the apartment and May and the others are again looking at me like I am some broken thing that needs to be pitied.

And I do. I do need to be pitied…I see the stupid man again and I instantly fall apart.

_How can I be a superhero if every time I see a bad guy that tried to kill me, I freeze? This was getting old fast._

With a sinking feeling, it is at this point where I realize -  I said that last bit out loud.

I let out a huge sigh and plop down on the couch holding my head in my hands  - waiting for the lectures to begin…

God…just once…why can’t things go my way?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Matching scenes can be hard! Sorry...its a short one but I hope you like it!


	38. And so it goes...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, REALLY sorry for the long delay. Life got way in the way and then I had a dash of writers block. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Tony stormed out of the conference room leaving his team to deal with Bernstein, Ross and his men. He couldn’t stand to be in the room with them any longer. He was getting a headache from trying not to kill the men responsible for the look he saw on Peter’s face when he came into the room.

As soon as he had the thought, the image flashed again into his brain and his head throbbed again. He gave a frustrated sigh and moved into his office to see if he could find some pain medication to take the edge off. This wasn’t over yet and until he knew that Peter was safe, that Ross had been convinced to let go of the crazy idea of holding a kid as collateral to make him help him welch on Steve and his team…

_Speak of the devil…_

Tony could feel the judgmental gaze of the noble and brave American war hero boring into the back of his head. He snapped the cap back on the pill bottle and tossed some pills into his mouth. Lifting the glass of water to wash them down, he took his time turning to face the man. He knew why he was here. Tony didn’t relish this conversation…

“Tony…” he didn’t wait for the other man to acknowledge him before going on “what exactly happened back there?” He slowly moved into the room and leaned against the table by Tony’s desk.

For his part, Tony moved in the opposite direction and finished his water as he moved to sit at his desk. He didn’t answer his one-time friend but glanced over to see what he would say next.

Steve folded his arms and waited, “Tony…you can’t ignore me forever…”

“I can certainly try.” Tony leaned back in his chair and glared at the other man, “What’s the problem now?”

“Tony, you wiped that man’s memory! Was it…permeant? How do you have tech that can do something like that? What if- “

“What is it exactly you think I should have done different here, huh? Ross wanted you and your team’s heads on a platter. He has been after me for  _months_. He was so determined, in fact, that he was willing to kidnap a kid to try and blackmail me into giving you up!” Tony stood up and paced the room.

As he moved he started getting more and more agitated, “Well, that didn’t happen. I risked Peter’s safety to protect you. I didn’t give any information even though he had Peter. Now, I’m not saying that’s your fault, but I have been trying my damnedest to protect everyone. And since you are not currently sitting in a jail cell again…I think your arguments here are out of order. And frankly, I don’t really appreciate you coming at me like this!” He stopped in front of Steve with his chin jutting out defiantly.

Steve’s face hardened but his voice came out soft, “I know and you’re right…Thank you. You did protect us, but that still doesn’t excuse you doing what you did. If we accept that this is okay then we are no better than them. What they did- “

“Are you crazy? Do you even hear what you are saying? I saved everyone. You can go back to wherever you guys are hiding out and Peter is out of this mess. One crazy scientist having lost some memories about how to do torture testing on an enhanced citizen of the United States is a price I am abso-fucking-lutely willing to pay. Now- “

The screen beeped behind Tony as Friday’s voice interrupted their argument. “Boss, I have an incoming message from Ross. Do you wish to speak to him right now? You sound a bit upset and your heart rate is elevated.”

“Thanks Friday, I’m good. Please patch it through.” He turned with one last hard look at Steve and then focused on the image of Ross on the screen. In hindsight, he might not have wanted to take the call right in front of Steve, but the man’s dogged rigidity regarding the moral high ground really got under his skin and pissed Tony off. He stood there waiting to hear what the man wanted. He had literally just left the compound less than 10 minutes ago.

“Stark!” Ross practically spit the name out, “You may have won this round – your precious spider kid is now off my list. But you didn’t say anything about Rogers and his merry band of fugitives.” He saw that Tony was opening his mouth to speak and cut him off, “And before you start whining that I should leave them alone too. Sorry…no can do. Those idiots are not just on my list – they are on everyone’s list. I can’t just write them off without a lot of people asking some serious questions.” He leaned back in his seat on the helicopter enjoying the knowledge that he was causing distress in the man on the other end of the call.  Especially now that Stark had him by the balls regarding the Parker kid.  He couldn't get what he wanted there, but he still had leverage with Rogers.

“Being the swell guy that I am - here’s what I am going to do for you.   I’m going to give you 6 hours…6 hours exactly to tell that group of losers to get of your facility. After that, I am going to be sending the full might of this base to arrest anyone from Roger’s team still there.”

Tony looked like he was ready to explode. He turned to look at Steve and then back at Ross. He threw his arms up in the air. “What in the actual f*ck is wrong with you all? It’s like you are dogs that just can’t let go of a bone that you have decided is the most important thing in the world and I just don’t get why. I don’t have time for this. Ross, you need to let this go…”

Ross’s face darkened. “O no, Stark.  This isn't just me. Rogers and his group started this. And now my hands are tied. The decision to let this go is above my pay grade. I can’t do anything about it. Now, Parker...he wasn't mentioned to them, so I can wipe him out of our records, no problem.  But Rogers and the rest…nothing changes there. You have 6 hours…make the most of it.” And With that the screen went dark.

Tony cursed and turned back to Steve. “Perfect! All that work and you guys are still fugitives…”

Steve folded his arms across his chest and took on the heroic stance that really grated on Tony. “I told you. We can’t- “

“Don’t…I had to do what I did.  If nothing else, it got Peter out and protected. And you guys…well, you are no worse than you were before.  And besides, we stopped a dangerous man without having to kill him or anyone else.  I'd say that was a success. ”

“So…we are okay with torture on our side as well?” Steve’s voice was hard. It was also the last straw for Tony.

“You? You want to talk to me about torture? How about how my mom was tortured…forced to watch her husband killed while in horrible pain from a car accident that your boy caused. And then she had the life choked out of her."  Tony’s voice cracked. "Don’t you  **dare**  talk to me about torture.” Steve could see that what happened in Siberia was still heavy on Tony’s mind. This wasn’t a fight he was ever going to win.

Steve stepped back and held his hands up. “Okay, Tony. I don’t want to fight. I…I don’t know what I was trying to do there, really. I just...I didn’t want us to sink to their level. We are better than that…you’re better than that.” Seeing the fuming look on Tony’s face, he decided it was time to go.

Steve straightened up and gave Tony a sincere look as he spoke from his heart, “Thank you Tony for all you have done for me and my team. We don’t want to abuse your hospitality…so we will take our leave.” He waited a beat to see if Tony would say anything more, but the man kept silent, so he turned and walked out of the room.

Anger and pride made Tony refuse to follow him and turned to look out the window behind him.   It felt like they had just broken up all over again.

Before he sunk into a deeper depression, he thought of Peter and decided to go see how he was doing. It would definitely help to improve his mood if he could see that he was okay. The stress of worrying about the kid had really been weighing on his mind, so a visit to the Parkers was in order. It would help take his mind off whatever just happened.

With renewed energy he left the office in search of his friendly neighborhood spider kid.

\----------------

As Tony approached the apartment door, he could hear yelling on the other side. His brows knit together in concern and he rushed to the door. When he opened it, the scene that greeted him was not at all what he expected.  He was thinking that Peter would be surrounded by laughter and cuddles and happy thoughts of puppies and rainbows, not this mess.

Peter was sitting on the couch with his head in his hands and everyone was milling around him. May was yelling about how he could be thinking about being a super hero just now while Happy and Sam were frantically trying to calm her down. Peter’s friends were standing over to the couch arguing as well.  Everyone was talking and yelling at the same time.

“You can’t be serious?” “Well, he is a superhero…that what they do…be heroes!” “Shouldn’t you take a break for just a little while?”

Tony took it all in for a second and then he raised his voice to cut through all the noise. “WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!”

Like a switch, everyone got really quiet…well except for May, because she was already on a roll. “…if you think for one second that I am okay with this…” but upon noticing the silence her voice was falling into, she stopped talking too and turned. Seeing it was Tony, she instantly pushed past Happy and Sam to stalk over to the man. Her finger was in his face before he knew it.

“This is entirely YOUR fault!” Her face was a mask of anger, worry and fear. “He’s already thinking about going back to being Spiderman…after everything that has happened!”

Stark looked at her with some sympathy. He reached up to take her hand and gently kissed it. The gesture was unexpected and put her off her train of thought. She stood there gapping for a second, and he lead her over to the couch when he had the opening.

He grabbed her by her shoulders and gently pushed her down on the couch next to her nephew. “May, take a breather.”

“But- “

“Right now, you need to focus on what is right in front of you.” He tilted his head towards Peter who was still sitting with his head in his hands.

“No one is going to do any super-heroing for a while.” This got Peter’s attention…

“What?”

Tony was ready. He pointed at Peter, “You need to heal. You don’t go anywhere until my doctors clear you.”

As May went to protest, Tony turned his finger to her, “And you…you need to calm down. Like it or not, Peter is a super powered hero. I’m not stupid enough to let him go out unprepared, but you have got to let go of the notion that he isn’t going to do it, because on top of being at that rebellious teenage stage, he isn’t long before he will be an adult able to make his own decisions.”   Tony did that thing he did whenever he had to be the adult in the room and grabbed his left wrist. “Now, you need to both kiss and make up!”

Turning his shooed the other kids away from the couch and went over to speak to Sam. He wanted to let him know that Steve would be leaving soon and he should go catch up if he didn’t want to be left behind, but then the door to the apartment opened and suddenly the room was filled as Steve, Wanda, Natasha, Clint, Scott came into the room. Apparently, they were coming to get Sam themselves.

After thinking he wouldn't see Steve again...there he was…how awkward…

As the door opened, Steve and his team could tell they had stumbled into a tense moment but they piled into the room anyway. Ned, ever the superhero nerd, broke the silence, “No Way! All the Avengers are in the same room! And we are here to see it!’ He elbowed Flash who had a star struck expression on his face, though he would never admit it if asked.

Michelle shook her head and moved to sit next to Peter.  She gently put a hand on his shoulder to let him know she was here for him.  He smiled gratefully over his shoulder at her, but then Steve cleared his throat and looked around the room until his gaze fell on Sam and Tony standing next to him.

“Sam, it’s time to go.”

May suddenly forgetting her prior freak out over Peter’s admission of wanting to continue to be Spiderman, stood up to protest, “But we haven’t had time to properly thank you…for…getting Peter…out…” She looked around the room for help.

Peter too seemed to come out of his previous mood, “But I just got here…I haven't even met all of you properly!”

Steve looked a little uncomfortable with having to break the news, “I know and I am sorry. But we all are still wanted by the government. Ross has seen all of us and he…graciously…gave us a head start before he come hunting for us again.  We have to make the most of it.”

Everyone reacted with shock at his words.  "Ross is a complete ass...yeah I said it!"  “How can he get away with this?” “Where will you go?” “Those stupid Accords!"  “That’s...that’s not fair!” 

“Yes, it is not fair, but I for one would not want to be back in the custody of those men, so we really should be going.” Wanda tried to make her comment light, but a dark cloud passed in Peter’s eyes. Wanda noticed.

May rushed to the kitchen to grab some glasses and the first bottle of liquid she came across – sparkling water. “Well, you can spare at least 10 minutes for us to send you guys off with a bit style.” She brandished the bottle like it was the highest quality wine. None could argue with her and everyone gathered to help.

The door opened again as Pepper walked into the room. She saw that everyone was there and her shoulders loosened up a bit, “Oh good. I didn’t miss you guys!” She moved over to Tony, seeing the tense look in his eyes, she gently squeezed his arm. He gave her just the slightest of nods and she understood to talk to him about whatever was bothering him later.

The tone of the room turned slightly jovial as everyone grabbed a glass and May lifted hers to toast the Avengers for helping to bring Peter back home. May continued, “I wish that you didn’t have to leave, but I understand that you need to. I hope that this whole thing gets resolved really soon so you all can come back home to us and your families.”  

Everyone lifted a glass and drank to her toast.

Clint and Scott’s faces had fallen a little at the mention of family, but they joined in the toast with the others. Clint moved over to Scott and they talk quietly as the impromptu celebration continues.

Sam compliments May on her recovery from her previous meltdown. When Wanda asks what he means, Sam unknowingly spills the fact that Peter is worried about being able to be a superhero again. Peter turns bright red in embarrassment. But Wanda touches his arm and doesn’t let him turn away.

“Peter, if you want, we have a way to erase the memories for you? Maybe if you didn’t remember…” Steve and Sam are shocked that Wanda would make such a suggestion.

But Peter cuts them all off. “Thanks Wanda, but that isn’t a good idea.” He looks over at May, “Each struggle that I overcome…or survive, it is a part of me now. I need to find a way to deal with it or they will only control me and I won’t be able to help anyone, least of all myself.  I'll get over the freezing, but I have to give it time.” He smiles at her with a genuine smile that seems to light up the room, “But I really appreciate your offer.”

Peter then goes over to May and gives her a big hug. “And thank you May for always worrying about me. I hate to make you worry, but I have to learn how to deal with dangerous situations. That is what will actually keep me safe. While it might be nice to forget, I have to use those experiences to be better the next time.”

May’s eyes widen at the phrase “next time”, but as she looks into her nephew’s eyes, she can see he isn’t a kid anymore. She reluctantly nods her head in agreement.

Peter seeing this quickly asks Tony if he can join Avengers, but the response is a resounding “NO!” Tony’s forceful answer surprises everyone, “I made a mistake bringing you into all this when you were so young. I’m not making that mistake again. But…you will make an excellent Avenger…one day…when you are ready. And not a moment before.” He looks over at May, “Good?”

She smiles, “Good.”

Steve watches the drama unfold and senses this is a good point for them to leave. “Well, with that all settled, I think now is a good time for us to all…”

Clint and Scott step forward and Clint interrupts, “Uh, Steve?”

Scott continues, “We were thinking of staying behind.” He looks at Clint as he continues, “We talked about it and we think this is the best thing…for us.”

Clint’s voice is a little rough, “We can’t keep running like this with our families suffering behind. It’s time for us to go home.” Scott nods in agreement.

The room erupts again. Everyone is confused and upset. Steve thinks Tony did something to encourage their decision. Natasha is devastated that Clint won’t be going with them. Tony is pissed that Steve blames him. Sam is upset that he won’t have his friends with him, but he is the only one not yelling.

This time it is Sam who is the voice of reason. “Guys, guys. Stop, this. We have seen how being away from their families has taken a toll on them. I am sure they have thought long and hard about doing this. It isn’t fair for us to not support this decision. Let’s not make this more difficult than it has to be.”

Wanda speaks up next, “He’s right. Besides we are wasting time here. If this is what they need to do, we should support them. They are our friends. They came to help you Steve. Now it is our turn. We need to help them return to their families.”

Tony made a point to not say a word. He didn’t want to interfere with the group’s internal dynamic.

Steve sighed and finally he nodded. They were right. It wasn’t fair to make them keep running because of his refusal to sign the Accords. They were both just regular men. They didn’t have to sign. They could just go home to their families…families that needed them.

He went over and gave each man a giant hug. “I’m sorry I got you all into this mess. If there is a way for you to get home, to your families…you should take it!”

One by one the group said their goodbyes. And then too soon, Rogers and the rest of his team were heading out the door.   Natasha lingered a little longer next to Clint. She had a shine to her eyes that she would deny to her dying day were tears. Clint gave her hand one final squeeze and then they were all gone.

Clint and Scott turned to Tony for directions on what to do now. Tony clapped his hands together, “Well…Ross should be very happy about getting some of the name off his damn list. But let’s wait a while before we tell him. We need to give your team time to get away and then we need to convince Ross to make a deal. What kind of deal were you thinking of?” Tony walked with the two men out the door.

Scott finally had a hopeful tone to his voice, “What about house arrest? That might be nice!” Clint’s snort followed them out the door.

Once they were gone, Pepper turned to Happy and asked if they should go find something to do…anything so that they could give Peter and his friends some privacy. Happy was a bit slow on the uptake, but finally he got it and they left as well.

Once everyone was gone, the room felt empty and quiet. Peter looked over at May and his friends. They all wore shell shocked expressions that probably matched his own. “Well…that was…something…”

The laughter that followed was a welcome release from all the pent-up emotions and action of the past few days. May finally was able to catch her breath. She shook her head and moved over to Peter. Throwing her arm around his shoulders, she searched his eyes for any signs of distress. She could see that there was a bit, but what was most surprising was how quickly he seemed to be processing what had happened and coming to terms with how to get over it. The maturity there made her proud and sad all at once. Tony was right. He was growing up.

She tried very hard to manage her own anxiety over the knowledge that Peter was going to go back out into the world and face dangers that she couldn’t always protect him from.  _Who was she kidding…she wouldn’t be able to protect him from any of it_. But the one thing that she held onto was that he would always have her and his friends to support him, to be there for him when he was in pain.

And she knew that Tony would never let anything happen to Peter. It was the only thing keeping her from curling into a ball and crying for days. It might be a good idea to go have a chat with Pepper, she would understand. She would know what it was like and she would be able to tell her it would be okay and give her support to go on.   Thank goodness that Tony didn’t let Peter become an Avenger and that meant that Peter would stay close to home and be the Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman.

Little did she know…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this leads us into Infinity Wars. I tried to make sure it all tied in.


End file.
